CarMaker for research and teaching: College of Stralsund
Virtual test driving in the auditorium - nothing extraordinary if you are a student at Stralsund's College. Since Autumn 2005, the vehicle dynamics software CarMaker has been used at this University to offer a practical education to the mechanical engineering students with automotive engineering as the major subject. The prospective engineers learn interactively the fundamentals of driving dynamics by simulating and analysing driving maneuvers with CarMaker both in lectures and practical courses. This successful teaching concept will be continued during the winter semester 2007/2008. The master study course "automotive engineering" will offer a module "simulation and test driving", in which vehicle dynamics simulations using CarMaker will be closely integrated.
CarMaker is also used in other interesting projects at Stralsund's College. The best known project is the development of the student racing team's race cars for their participation in the international Formula Student / Formula SAE contests. They use CarMaker to simulate and optimise an energy saving vehicle within the scope of the lecture "alternative drive concepts", which is no less exciting. The vehicle will start running in May at the Shell Eco-marathon in Nogaro, France. The goal of this competition is to design and build a vehicle, which can cover the longest distance with minimal energy consumption. To define the optimal driver operation characteristics for the Shell Eco-marathon vehicle, the track simulation of the racetrack in Nogaro is currently being worked out within the scope of a project. In the coming summer semester, the students will draw a comparison between the vehicles, which have been developed up to now, using IPG-KINEMATICS.
Besides their own projects, Stralsund's College also support other Universities with its technical know-how. For example, they support the Bochum's College SolarCar-Team. For the participation at the World Solar Challenge 2007 in Australia, Bochum's students build a three wheeled vehicle, which is exclusively driven with solar power. Thanks to CarMaker, Stralsund's College have studied the curve speed, which made the solar vehicle unstable on three wheels.
Stralsund's engagement documents, not only the practical orientation of the College but it also explicitly shows the enthusiasm of its professors, employees and students for the subject automotive engineering. Professor Roßmanek, responsible for automotive engineering and construction at Stralsund's College states: "We want our students to get a well-founded theoretical and practical education and at the same time it is also important for us to inspire them. Memorable and exciting examples in CarMaker enable me to give the students an understanding of the driving dynamics' basic relations."
