Assessing the Relative Endurance Capacity of Hybrid Drivetrain Components in an Early Development Stage with an Indicator Based on Preceding Drivetrain Generations

In this paper an approach is shown to estimate the load on a component in a hybrid drivetrain. Therefore, the already existing method for conventional drivetrains is modified and expanded to fulfill the new requirements of hybrid drivetrains. The interaction between combustion and electric engine is considered to calculate a load-equivalent constant torque that is used as an input to determine a drivetrain specific, load proportional standardized value. With the help of drivetrain simulations, it is shown that the new approach leads to better estimation results in the case of hybrid drivetrains. Additionally, it is displayed that the new method is valid not only for hybrid drivetrains but also for conventional drivetrains, as it is a more general method. Furthermore, an example is given, how the knowledge about a component’s usable load range and the estimated load of a new drivetrain can be used to predict roughly the necessary activities during the development of the new drivetrain.