The following scheme shall be used as basis structure for describing and conducting virtual testing:
purpose;
structure model;
boundary conditions;
load assumptions;
calculation;
assessment;
documentation.
The mathematical model shall be supplied by the manufacturer. It shall reflect the complexity of the structure of the vehicle, system, component or separate technical unit to be tested in relation to the requirements of the relevant regulatory act and its boundary conditions.
The same provisions shall apply for testing components or separate technical units independently from the vehicle.
The mathematical model shall be validated against the actual test conditions.
To that effect a physical test shall be conducted to compare the results obtained when using the mathematical model with the results of a physical test. Comparability of the test results shall be proven. The manufacturer or the technical service shall draft a validation report and submit it to the approval authority.
Any change to the mathematical model or to the software that is likely to invalidate the validation report shall be brought to the attention of the approval authority, which may require that a new validation process is conducted.
The flow chart of the validation process is shown in Appendix 3.
The manufacturer shall make available to the technical service and document the data and auxiliary tools used for simulation and calculation.
The manufacturer shall supply the technical service at its request with the necessary tools to conduct the virtual testing, including appropriate software, or provide that technical service access to these tools.
The manufacturer shall also provide appropriate support to the technical service.
The access and support provided by the manufacturer to a technical service does not exempt the technical service from its obligations regarding the skills of its personnel, the payment of licence rights and confidentiality.