SI mulation MO del N on-linear

SIMON is a fully 3-dimensional dynamic simulation of the response of one or more vehicles to:

• Driver Inputs (steering, braking, throttle, gear shift)

• Collisions

• Terrain Factors (irregular terrain, curbs, soft soil, slippery regions, hydroplaning, potholes, …)

• Aerodynamics (wind forces, airborne trajectory)

SIMON was built using the latest advances in software and simulation technology, based on a new, 3-D vehicle dynamics engine developed by Engineering Dynamics Corporation. Any number of vehicles may be included in a SIMON simulation. The user assigns initial positions and velocities for each vehicle. The user may also assign driver controls, wheel set-up conditions (tire blow-out, wheel damage, brake adjustment/failure, curb impact) and accelerometers. Using this information, SIMON calculates the forces acting on the vehicle and uses these forces to calculate vehicle position, velocity, acceleration and collision damage at user-specified time intervals. The results may be displayed numerically (in a spreadsheet format) or visually (in 3-D viewers).

SIMON has been validated against numerous well-instrumented vehicle handling studies, including combined steering and braking, severe irregular terrain traversal, rollover tests, staged crash tests and tire blow-out experiments. Program results easily meet Federal standards for the admissibility of scientific evidence.