Wheel Motor Shock Loading Experiments and Requirements

The University of Texas Center for Electromechanics (UT-CEM) conducted a set of simulations and full-scale experiments to determine suitable shock load design requirements for in-hub motors for hybrid electric combat vehicles. Both modeling and experimental results indicate several realistic scenarios in which wheel hubs experience accelerations of 80 to 120g, sometimes at very low vehicle speeds. This paper focuses the experimental determination of suitable design goals for in-hub motors (wheel motors), describing the experimental test rig, experiment procedures, and experimental results. The paper also discusses implications of these results on wheel motor design, leading to the conclusion that a realizable and feasible design goal for wheel motor shock rating is 150g, with a 10 to 20 ms pulse width.