Case Study: Meritor reduces truck stopping distance by over 30% with Hexagon Adams

Adams used to simulate new control strategy that reduces truck stopping distance by over 30%

Meritor, a leading global supplier of braking systems for commercial vehicles, faced the challenge of meeting stricter regulatory stopping distance requirements without resorting to heavier, more expensive brake hardware. Their Principal Engineer developed a new, sophisticated braking algorithm but needed to accurately simulate its performance. They partnered with Hexagon, leveraging its Adams multibody dynamics software integrated with controls simulation to provide a virtual testing environment for this new system.

Hexagon's solution, using the Adams Controls module accessed via the flexible MSC One token system, enabled Meritor to simulate a panic stop with the new algorithm on a full vehicle model. This virtual testing eliminated the need for many expensive physical prototypes. The results were significant, demonstrating that the new control strategy could reduce truck stopping distance by over 30% using current braking hardware, allowing the vehicle to stop in 177 feet from 60 mph.

Meritor

Ragnar Ledesma

Principal Engineer