An objective method for the evaluation of off-road wheeled vehicle mobility
by Yehia H. Hosamel-deen, Sayed M. Shaaban, Emad S. Anbar
International Journal of Heavy Vehicle Systems (IJHVS), Vol. 4, No. 1, 1997

Abstract: An objective method for evaluation of off-road wheeled vehicle mobility is introduced. The evaluation process depends on considering a datum value for each vehicle technical parameter. These datum values or norms are obtained from a statistical analysis study of the technical parameters for a sample of 155 off-road wheeled vehicles representing different schools from all over the world [Shaaban et al. (1995)]. The effect of soil parameters is taken care of through calculation of the mobility index number of the vehicle on the soil type considered. The different relative weights given to each parameter are obtained by analysing the response to a thoroughly prepared questionnaire for fifteen of the distinguished automobile experts from both university staff and industry consultants. A computer aided system for objective evaluation (CASOE) is developed in order to mechanise this method. The CASOE is programmed in a modular way such that addition, deletion, improvement, and/or modifications are easily performed. The use of the CASOE is convenient and the system integrity is realised through checking of the input data for unreasonable values. Also a separate module for checking the consistency of the producer's data is provided. The system is compared with other classical systems and it is thought to be superior for the following reasons: 1. Using the CASOE system saves time and cost, and more accurate results are expected. More analysis of the evaluation results can also be easily carried out using the ability of the system to output different reports. 2. In CASOE, the obtained reference values and the relative weights depend on a statistically based study, and consequently the system design is less subjective. 3. With the aid of the knowledge base stored in the CASOE, any number of vehicles, even a single one, can be evaluated. It should be noted that for any method based on the principle of comparison, the evaluation of a single vehicle is impossible. 4. The effect of soil can be considered with different weights according to the prospective use of the vehicle.

Online publication date: Tue, 18-Jun-2013

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