Simulation of Heavy-Duty Vehicles for the Use in Digital Twins

The digitalization of vehicle drive trains has been an ongoing trend for the recent past. Not only is its intention to speed up the design process but also the monitoring of the ultimate product. The development of accurate plant models of the machines provides the manufacturer with ample information of the final product performance in field. In addition, it can result in a testing foundation of different vehicle control systems and their optimization, as well as the launching platform for further developments on the direction of assistive and, ultimately, automated driving. Furthermore, with the aid of real measurements and commands taken in field by involved heavy-duty vehicles manufacturers, its performance can be first assessed and validated, and finally utilized as a tool to monitor its behaviour in different operation conditions, prior to or during operation. Thus, in the present, the authors describe their proposed means and processes to obtain extensive digital multi-physical models of heavy-duty vehicles, with an up-to-now results validation and their designed coupling to a multi-body simulation environment.