Experimental Studies in Ground Vehicle Coastdown Testing

Hands-on engineering instruction is an important yet often underused component of the engineering curriculum. The lack of engineering laboratories can be attributed to a number of factors, one of which is the virtual nonexistence of pedagogically proven experimental activities. This paper introduces the potential of coastdown testing as an engineering experiment. It develops a thorough framework for a set of experiments and assignments within coastdown testing, with the overarching objective of instructing students about vehicle dynamics. Sample execution methods and results are included to ensure easy adaptability to the classroom setting. From the assessments conducted, it was clear that students both enjoyed themselves and developed an understanding of the subject matter. Therefore, due to the easy implementation and promising results of the class, it was determined that coastdown testing works well as a classroom engineering laboratory.