Abstract
One of the major challenges in developing an AWD powertrain is the reduction of the weight of the AWD components without compromising performance. The highly variable powerflow in AWD systems does not allow doing the design based on load estimates only. Vehicle road load simulation provides the necessary load inputs to calculate the ultimate strength and to assess drive train durability. Based on synthetic road load spectra and appropriate compression algorithms specific rig test schedules can be determined. By using simulation methods AWD components can be designed and tested in a very early stage of a development program. At the time components are going into a vehicle a very high confidence level can be achieved.