Horiba Mira and MSC Software launch first virtual proving ground

Horiba Mira is now offering what it calls the world’s first commercially available virtual proving ground. According to the company, the virtual proving ground provides a 3D representation of the durability and ride comfort surfaces from Horiba Mira’s own world class proving ground in a format directly compatible with MSC Adams Car software.

Available as a plug in into the existing MSC Adams software, the world’s most widely used Multibody Dynamics (MBD) software, the virtual proving ground enables customers to efficiently test development-stage vehicles in a simulated environment.

The primary function of the virtual proving ground is the ability to generate ‘virtual’ road load data (RLD) for the use in durability and ride comfort analysis of multiple vehicle systems. Among others such an analysis allows the study of a component to establish whether it will suffer from fatigue failure during its life, knowing the components geometry, material and loading.

Nick Fell, engineering director at Horiba Mira, said: “Horiba Mira offers a rare combination of digital simulation and physical test capabilities that serves both sides of the product development ‘V’ cycle. To build on this, over the last two years our durability simulation team has developed the Horiba Mira virtual proving ground into a usable customer product, and we’re delighted to now make it available as an addition to MSC Adams Car.

“The technology will provide a valuable resource for new entrants to the automotive industry as well as established OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers, helping them improve the accuracy of their durability simulation and reducing their reliance on prototype vehicles for load case generation.”

Horiba Mira’s proving ground, one of the largest in the world, is home to 26 circuits, including a ride and handling circuit, durability and performance surfaces, wet handling surfaces and a city circuit.