Methodology for conducting climatic tests in cabins and habitable compartments of wheeled and tracked vehicles

In the course of many years of climate research and analysis of research works by other authors, a number of methodological errors were identified that did not allow obtaining objective and reliable research results in some cases. As a result of evaluating a number of research materials of domestic and foreign researchers, it was revealed that the real temperature and humidity characteristics are hidden inside the habitable compartments. This was done, most likely due to a commercial interest in distorted research results. Since the beginning of the 90s of the twentieth century, the author often had to take part in works of improving the climatic characteristics inside the inhabited compartments of special wheeled and tracked vehicles, but the vehicles were completely unsuitable for installing climate control systems by their design and did not have free power to ensure their mechanical and electrical drive. It is especially difficult to provide the required climatic characteristics in the habitable compartments at high temperatures. This is due to the fact that the cost of cold in the habitable compartment is 5-7 times higher than the cost of heat, besides, the units used to generate cold require greater precision and quality of manufacture compared to other units, and large vibration and shock loads lead to damage system parts and assemblies and refrigerant leaks. The studies were carried out to objectively assess the heat fluxes entering the cabins and habitable compartments. The results were compared with previous methodological developments. In the process of research it was determined that the main heat load of the cabins and habitable compartments is borne by solar radiation, penetrating into the habitable compartment through transparent fences. The recommendations for climatic testing of full-size vehicles and cabin prototypes based on the results of field studies were given. Full-scale climatic tests are inherently the most difficult, since they depend on changeable weather, and in many cases cannot be objectively reproduced in a climatic chamber.

climate, solar radiation, cabin, habitable compartment, air conditioning, temperature