MEASURING OF MECHANICAL RESISTANCES OF A HEAVY GOOD VEHICLE BY COASTDOWN TEST
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Summary
This study investigates the mechanical resistance of heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) using an exterior coastdown test, a method less common than laboratory dynamometer tests. Mechanical resistance, comprising rolling tire resistance and powertrain losses, significantly impacts vehicle energy consumption and environmental sustainability. The research aims to determine these resistance forces in real-world conditions to identify technical inefficiencies and improve transport efficiency. The experiment utilized a MAN TGX 18.444 semi-trailer truck with an instantaneous weight of 15.1 tonnes. Tests were conducted on a straight, wind-protected section of a first-class road in Slovakia, adhering to Standard STN 30 0554. To isolate mechanical resistance from aerodynamic drag, the coastdown tests were performed at low initial speeds (starting at 15 km/h), where air resistance is negligible. Data collection involved a GPS-enabled tablet to record speed and time, alongside instruments for measuring wind speed, air temperature, pressure, and tire temperature. The methodology involved shifting the vehicle into neutral and allowing it to decelerate by inertia while recording the speed profile. Data analysis involved smoothing the deceleration curves using polynomial trend lines in Excel to calculate braking deceleration. The researchers calculated the coefficient of rolling resistance and the coefficient of mechanical resistance (which includes powertrain efficiency losses). The average measured rolling resistance coefficient was 5.8 × 10⁻³, closely matching the tire manufacturer’s declared value of 5.5 × 10⁻³. Variations in results between uphill and downhill directions were attributed to minor track slopes and wind conditions. The final calculated coefficient of mechanical resistance was 6.0 × 10⁻³, derived by adjusting the rolling resistance coefficient for the estimated powertrain efficiency of 0.947. The study concludes that low-speed coastdown tests are a reliable method for determining the actual mechanical resistance of HGVs. The results demonstrate that this approach yields values consistent with manufacturer specifications, validating its utility for assessing vehicle technical condition and efficiency. The authors suggest that combining coastdown tests with constant-speed fuel consumption tests could further enhance the reliability of resistance measurements, aiding in the development of more energy-efficient freight transport systems.
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| Stage | Outcome | Tool | Model | Prompt | Attempts | Completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| discover | success | OpenAlex-citations | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-18 |
| archive | success | unpaywall | — | — | 2 | 2026-06-25 |
| extract | success | cached | — | — | 2 | 2026-06-26 |
| clean | success | clean | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-19 |
| chunk | success | chunk | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-19 |
| embed | success | embed | Qwen/Qwen3-Embedding-8B | — | 1 | 2026-06-19 |
| promote | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-18 |
| summarize | success | llm | qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant | summ-v5 | 1 | 2026-06-26 |
| tag | success | vector_similarity | — | — | 6 | 2026-06-19 |
| verify | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-26 |
Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-26; verification: verified.
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