German automobile manufacturer, Adam Opel AG, in cooperation with Instron Structural Testing Systems has installed a ‘deterioration’ test rig for complete vehicles enabling extreme mechanical and environmental fatigue loads to be simulated in a laboratory.
A novel feature of the testing system are the patented flat roadway units mounted
on vertical linear actuators enabling the entire vehicle to be tested including
operation with a running engine. Frequency response functions of the tyres as
well as loads occurring during accelerating, gearshift or braking no longer
need to be simulated separately. As a result, the test rig can accurately duplicate
in the laboratory exactly what a car encounters on the open road.
Further components of the test rig are speed controlled electric motors, autopilot,
the electrical positioning system for the flat roadway units and the rear wheel
pans, the environmental chamber with infra red radiation system plus controller,
the wind blower and the fuel supply system with exhaust gas sensors and fire
extinguishing system.
According to Opel, demand for the system is high, particularly for development
jobs involving extreme environmental conditions. Development projects involving
fuel cell vehicles are also being conducted on the rig.