Vehicle Engineering MIRA is a centre of excellence for vehicle engineering, design, test and development.

Supported by a unique combination of testing facilities, we deliver complete programmes from concept through to sign off.

Smarter Thinking.

MIRA’s engineers have gained significant experience by working with automotive customers from all over the world on a wide range of projects.

• Concept development and feasibility• Vehicle benchmarking and target setting• Whole vehicle development• Body in white design for crashworthiness, durability and NVH• Safety integration programmes for EuroNCAP rating enhancement• Chassis engineering design and development• Thermal management design and development• Ride, handling and NVH programmes• Specification, design and development of braking systems• Bespoke HVAC development• Whole vehicle durability testing

Whether a passenger car or heavy commercial vehicle programme, we work closely with our customers to develop and agree targets based on benchmark data and industry leading expertise. We then optimise the design taking into account the requirements of differing vehicle usage profiles and manufacturing capabilities.

From one location, expert engineers, CAE tools and a unique combination of physical test and validation facilities are brought together to deliver a complete engineering solution for our customers.

Styling and DesignMIRA has over 20 years’ experience in body in white, trim and chassis design for passenger cars and commercial vehicles. This core design capability was expanded in 2006 when a formal partnership was established with Italian design house, Torino Design.

With its wealth of experience in initial concept styling and feasibility work, Torino Design adds complementary skills to those already held within MIRA. Working together with our customers we help define key targets during the concept feasibility stage.

The experience offered by MIRA and Torino Design combined with our extensive knowledge of the development and test of vehicles makes us the ideal partnership to deliver turnkey packages of work.

MIRA’s styling and design capabilities also include:

Concept GenerationThe generation of concepts that can achieve the requirements of a product plan are key to any design programme. MIRA’s highly skilled, innovative engineers work with our customers to ensure the objectives for costs, timing, aesthetic image, attributes and functions are achieved.

Benchmarking and Target SettingTo support concept and feasibility definition, MIRA’s engineers use their extensive experience of benchmarking complete vehicles or chosen attribute areas, enhanced by a subjective objective target setting process. This initial work gives confidence to the concept and development phase.

MIRA has an in-depth understanding of the requirements needed to deliver a vehicle from concept through to production, independently offering an automotive development capability which mirrors that seen in OEMs.

Design and Development

Automotive Software DevelopmentMIRA has a mature flexible process covering all elements for automotive software development and has been assessed against ISO9001:2000 and ISO TR15497 (the MISRA "Development guidelines for vehicle based software", a safety standard for automotive software).

Electrical System IntegrationMIRA has solid design expertise when it comes to electrical system integration for automotive vehicles. Whether integration and packaging of chosen electrical components or design of niche electronic products, MIRA has an established capability in this area.

Functional SafetyFunctional safety is part of system safety engineering and is concerned with helping to avoid the incorrect functioning of the complex and highly integrated electronic systems that are an essential part of modern vehicles. MIRA is a leading independent provider of functional safety expertise and has over 100 years combined experience within its team. HVAC and Powertrain Cooling Performance and DevelopmentMIRA has many years of experience in the field of testing HVAC and powertrain cooling systems. Our two facilities enable us to test off-road, truck, coach and large military vehicles.

BrakingMIRA has developed a world class independent brake development, test and certification team to support the global automotive market. We have ISO17025 accreditation and are an appointed technical service for EEC/ECE braking legislation for all vehicle categories which now encompasses brake assist (BAS).

Noise Vibration and Harshness EngineeringMIRA’s extensive knowledge of NVH issues allow us to confidently tackle any challenge. Our expert engineers rely on well-proven techniques, such as transfer and source path analysis to develop bespoke solutions to meet your NVH requirements.

Vehicle DynamicsMIRA’s has decades of experience in taking agreed targets and developing new suspension and steering designs into class leading vehicles for the world’s OEMs. Supported by the best laboratory facilities, software tools and proving ground tracks. Dynamic development is supported at all stages of the project development cycle.

We deliver complex solutions to customer specifications in all areas of vehicle engineering including design for assembly (DFA) and design for manufacture (DFM).

Our expertise includes:

System Integration• Functional safety• New component packaging• Electrical hardware integration• HVAC systems integration• High voltage systems architecture and safety• Powertrain and drivetrain integration • Alternative propulsion systems• Energy modelling optimisation

Chassis Engineering• Vehicle architecture• Chassis design and integration• Structural analysis• Driveline integration• System and component packaging• Electrical architecture

Body Engineering• BIW design and development• Lightweight material selection • Structural analysis• Crashworthiness • Aerodynamic optimisation

AerodynamicsWe use state of the art Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation techniques to deliver substantial aerodynamic drag savings on a wide range of vehicles from motorcycles, passenger cars and commercial vehicles through to electric vehicles and land-speed record breaking projects.

Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC)MIRA provides EMC engineering and test support to all major global vehicle manufacturers. Our test procedures provide realistic drive profiles, such ABS testing on a twin axle rolling road. We support all aspects of EMC design and programme management support, either at MIRA or at customer premises.

Safety DevelopmentSafety development at MIRA integrates state-of-the-art test facilities with engineering expertise to deliver engineering solutions to complex safety requirements. Thermal Management MIRA has many years of experience in vehicle thermal management, the company being the first in the UK to build and operate a climatic wind tunnel. Indeed, a second larger facility has been added to extend the growing demand in MIRA’s thermal management capabilities into larger vehicles, such as off-road, truck and large military.

Smarter Thinking.

Vehicle Durability TestingMIRA has a wealth of whole vehicle durability test and development experience covering all vehicle classes, which can be carried out on MIRA’s extensive proving ground or public roads.

Integrated Durability EngineeringWhen carrying out durability design and development projects the accurate determination of the durability targets for vehicles is essential. MIRA’s experienced engineers provide an excellent service to the integrated durability engineering industry.

Road Load Data and AnalysisMIRA’s highly experienced team specialise in all aspects of vehicle instrumentation, data collection and data analysis, ensuring the information is available to designers, modellers and analysts.

Design Validation and Durability

Vehicle Test and EvaluationWhole vehicle test and evaluation is a fundamental function at MIRA, supporting customer research and development activities. MIRA offers a vast range of tests ranging from suspension abuse to pre-sales quality validation.

Certification & HomologationMIRA maintains a full time dedicated homologation and certification department, which has many years’ experience of ensuring compliance to UK, European, US and Rest of World legislation. This in depth knowledge of current and anticipated legislative requirements can be offered on a consultancy basis, or as part of a delivery based programme.

Smarter Thinking.

MIRA has a deep understanding of delivering a vehicle into production, with the expertise and experience of refining the initial design of a vehicle to ensure its attributes meet key targets.

We take early stage prototypes and create detailed 2D and 3D designs in industry standard software packages, such as Catia V5. These drawings are then delivered in an approved format into the customer’s drawing and part release systems.

MIRA’s teams of experts can work independently or alongside our customer’s engineers to find a solution to deliverable requirements.

Supporting this activity MIRA has broad capabilities in:

• Prototype build• Media car preparation • Launch support• Conformity of production

The MIRA Programme Management Process (PMP) has evolved from historical MIRA business and market experiences, and commonly used product development systems in the automotive industry. It is supported by a series of controlled processes that encompass change and configuration control, safety, risk and issues management, cost management, design and quality assurance, earned value management, and supply chain management.

Key to the process are the agreed gateway reviews, which are opportunities for the business, the programme and the customer to ensure appropriate progress towards the achievement of cost, schedule and performance targets, to understand and concur the risks and mitigation plans, and to redirect programme activity as appropriate.

Programme Management

Programme SafetyFunctional safety is no longer limited to the traditional view of product design, but now encompasses the assessment and management of risks inherent in organisational structures, process definitions, technical publications, personnel, training, and deployment scenarios.

MIRA routinely uses ‘open’ assessment processes to identify and mitigate risk, such as failure mode effects and analysis, fault tree analysis, concerns and corrective actions, together with the now traditional theoretical design analysis tools encompassed by CAE. This capability and expertise contributes to MIRA’s status as an accredited technical service provider for many aspects of UK and European type approval.

Programme Systems IntegrationHaving specialist subject matter expertise in a wide range of automotive, aerospace, rail, industrial and defence engineering systems, enables MIRA to provide a comprehensive systems integration service, as independent integrators or as part of turnkey programme provision.

With the complete range of test facilities for system and whole vehicle testing, together with the concentration of software and hardware engineering expertise, all on one site, MIRA is uniquely placed to deliver effective and efficient systems integration development, validation and verification.

Smarter Thinking.

MIRA Ltd Watling Street, Nuneaton, Warwickshire, CV10 0TU, UK T: +44 (0)24 7635 5000 F: +44 (0)24 7635 8000 E: enquiries@mira.co.uk

www.mira.co.uk

Capabilities and Facilities Our engineering programmes are supported by our unique combination of testing and validation capabilities and facilities.

F• Head impact rig• Seat back moment rig• Roof crush rig• Seat belt anchorage rig• Hyge gravity sled

Safety Development• Full vehicle crash development• Restraint development• Security blockers• Pedestrian development• Body structures• Roadside furniture development

Vehicle Environmental• Vehicle emissions testing • HVAC performance testing• Powertrain cooling• Snow ingestion and driven rain testing

Component Environmental • Battery performance and durability• Component performance and durability• Thermal shock• Vibration and temperature cycling• Corrosion• Body and trim performance and durability

EMC and Electrical• Design for EMC• Test programme design management• Electromagnetic simulation• Problem resolution• Filter design and manufacture• Electrical test

Aerodynamics• Flow visualisation

Facilities• Indoor crash laboratory• Outdoor crash site• Impact simulation suite• Structures test laboratory• Pedestrian test laboratory• Crash test dummy calibration

Facilities• Exhaust emissions laboratory• Climatic wind tunnel one • Climatic wind tunnel two• Vehicle chambers

Facilities• Thermal chambers / vibration• Thermal shock chambers• Battery exercisers• Thin layer activation cells• Electro hydraulics lab• Pneumatic rigs

Facilities• Vehicle semi anechoic chamber • Heavy vehicle semi anechoic chamber• Radio frequency interference laboratory• Open air test site• Transient laboratory• Components laboratory

Facilities• Full scale wind tunnel

Proving Ground• Performance Circuits – allow sustained high-speed, autobahn simulation and rapid mileage accumulation• Dry Handling Areas – consistent high friction levels provide excellent traction and high lateral adhesion necessary for vehicle dynamics and driver development• Wet Handling Circuits – extensive low friction circuits for tyre, braking/ABS, stability control and driver development• Ride and Handling Surfaces – crucial for refinement and interior comfort development• Durability Surfaces – produce accelerated durability cycles, carefully correlated with in-territory road-load data and manufacturer derived schedules• Special Features – test for overall robustness, customer abuse and niche market scenarios• ISO Noise Test – supports exterior noise certification and vehicle homologation• Cross-country and Off-Road circuits – provide loose surfaces and high mobility challenges specifically for, 4x4 and military vehicles• Intelligent Transport Systems / Telematics - In collaboration with innovITS and the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL), MIRA has developed a city circuit called ADVANCE. An extensive network of roads, traffic islands and controlled intersections replicates most European/US urban environments, enabling the telecommunications, automotive and electronics industries, as well as highways authorities to trial ITS solutions in a safe highly controlled environment