About the Client

A European cab manufacturer serving the off-highway vehicle segment. The client sought engineering validation support to ensure its heavy machinery cabin design met stringent international safety standards before moving into physical prototyping and certification.

The Challenge

The client needed to virtually validate a new heavy machinery cab design for structural safety, occupant protection, and regulatory compliance. The program demanded thorough simulation of real-world load conditions and cabin performance under rollover, impact, and deformation scenarios—prior to investing in physical trials.

Key challenges included:

• Complying with global standards for Falling Object Protective Structures (FOPS) and Rollover Protective Structures (ROPS)
• Validating cab performance against multi-directional impact loads
• Ensuring cabin geometry and strength allowed adequate occupant survival space
• Transitioning from digital validation to prototyping with full confidence

The Solution

We performed a comprehensive digital validation of the cab design using advanced CAE tools and safety simulation frameworks.

Key validation activities included:

• Falling Object Protection: Assessed structural strength under top-load impact conditions
• Rollover Protection: Simulated rollover scenarios to ensure stability and survival space
• Roof and Rear Wall Strength: Applied load conditions to test resistance and integrity under force
• Diagonal Impact Performance: Evaluated A-pillar strength under angular impact simulations
• Component Rigidity Evaluation: Verified stiffness of mounts, bunks, floor, and roof under defined loads to identify potential safety risks
• Occupant Protection: Verified space retention and deformation control to maintain operator safety
• DFM/DFA/DFS checks and GD&T planning to ensure seamless downstream manufacturing readiness
• Engineering Proto Release planning to enable a smooth transition to physical prototyping

The Impact

The virtual validation exercise allowed the client to confidently move into prototyping with a fully optimized design:

• Reduced physical trial costs by resolving risks in the digital stage
• Validated cab safety against rollover, impact, and structural failure conditions
• Improved design robustness for regulatory approval readiness
• Enhanced operator protection through simulation-backed structural integrity
• Accelerated product launch timeline by enabling a direct path from design to production release