RF Cascade Workbook for Excel
RF & Electronics Symbols for Visio
RF & Electronics Symbols for Office
RF & Electronics Stencils for Visio
RF Workbench
T-Shirts, Mugs, Cups, Ball Caps, Mouse Pads
Espresso Engineering Workbook™
Smith Chart™ for Excel
|
|
Interface – Driven to Perform
|
September 26, 2013
To succeed in automotive racing, a commitment
is required…a commitment to always ask for more and to never settle
for less. Continual improvement is necessary to stay ahead of your competition
and win. This drive to be the best is part of Interface’s DNA, from
our product and service offering to the dedication of our employees.
Accurate force measurement is a vital requirement of the automotive
industry and in the competition arena, performance demands are pushed
even higher. Interface takes great pride in being a leading solutions
provider in these applications. Whether it’s for NASCAR, IndyCar, or
even the amateur level, engineers rely on Interface.
Figure 1. The SCCA Solo National Championships celebrates its
41st running in 2013; Nissan 350Z driven by Interface engineer
Brian Peters
|
An Interface engineer recently accomplished a 4th National Championship
in Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) Solo racing. The annual National
Championships draws over 1000 drivers from across North America to compete
over two days, where wins are decided by mere thousandths of a second.
Performance and precision are critical.
Figure 2. Interface's TXY load cell for tire uniformity testing,
provides force measurement in the X and Y axis simultaneously. |
It is no surprise then, that in building a national championship winning
car, many technical decisions relied on accurate force and torque measurements,
provided by accurate and reliable Interface load cells and torque transducer
measurements. In racing, control is everything and a good race car is
only as good as its tires and shocks. In fact, several leading tire
manufacturers (including key SCCA sponsors) rely on the Interface TXY
multi-axis shear load cell for precise test data on tire uniformity
with minimal cross talk across its strain gage bridges.
The Nissan’s
Koni 2812 series double adjustable shocks had their independent rebound
and compression valving expertly dialed-in by ProParts USA on their
Roehrig shock dynamometer. Roehrig, an industry benchmark for shock
absorber development, has exclusively turned to Interface’s moment compensated
LowProfile™ load cell as the heart of their systems.
Figure 3. Koni adjustable shock absorber and specifically rated
coilover spring.
Figure 4. Calibration test rig to validate shock absorber specifications
using Interface’s LowProfile™ load cell for accuracy and repeatability
force measurements. |
Interface LowProfile™ load cell sensors are used in strut/shock/ spring
testing machines.
Different manufacturers use these machines
to ensure their products are meeting their targeted performance levels.
This car saw more than a dozen different spring rate configurations
during development, so when springs are being changed- out in small
rate increments, it’s good to know that an 850 lbf spring is really
what it’s supposed to be.
Used to measure how much torque is
getting to a vehicle’s driven wheels, chassis dynamometers are very
popular tools for effective engine tuning. Maximizing power is another
massive piece to building a competitive car and it is yet another example
of Interface measurement leading the industry.
Figure 5. Used to measure the braking force / torque, load cells
are integral parts to chassis dynamometers. Nissan 350Z’s engine
control unit being tuned for 100 octane gasoline.
Figure 6. SSM environmentally sealed "S" type load cell for
excellent force measurement accuracy and reliability.
|
There are many varieties of chassis dynamometers, each using different
methods to load the vehicle and measure the torque(force x arm length);
And the most popular dynamometer systems rely on highly-accurate load
cells to provide the force measurement values in these systems. The
SSM or the SM S-Type load cells have been a favorite force measurement
solution in these applications – rugged, reliable, and accurate.
For product tests that require dynamic or rotary torque and RPM
measurements during an active testing application, the HRDT is a favorable
direct torque measurement solution. The High Resolution Digital Telemetry
(HRDT) in-line rotary torque transducer provides a bearing-less, compact
wireless design that affords the test engineer suitable data collection
for engine analysis, as well as brake HP calculations.
Interface’s
presence in the automotive test field is extensive. While this has only
been a short look at a few automotive applications, it doesn’t factor-in
the hundreds of OEM R&D engineers that use our load cells, torque
transducers, instruments, and calibration systems on a daily basis to
build and evaluate their products. All Interface products are US manufactured
to help system test engineers get the most accuracy, repeatability,
and reliability from their performance systems.
Interface: the
trusted world leader in force measurement for 50 years.
About Interface
[borders/inc-300x250.htm]Interface
has been the trusted world leader in force measurement for half a century.
We lead by designing, manufacturing, and guaranteeing the highest performance
and most accurate products available. Our engineers help provide force
measurement solutions to our customers in all industries — from grams
to millions of pounds – and hundreds of configurations.
We are
the preeminent supplier to companies such as Boeing, Airbus, NASA, Ford,
GM, Johnson & Johnson, NIST and thousands of measurement labs throughout
the world. Our load cells are complimented by highly accurate torque
transducers, machine calibration systems, digital indicators, software,
and force measurement system components - which we manufacture and sell
throughout the world. Our in-house calibration labs support a variety
test standards: ASTM E74, ISO-376, MIL-STD, EN10002-3, ISO-17025, and
others.
Contact:
Interface Inc. Web:
www.interfaceforce.com
Phone: +1-480-948-5555
Posted October, 2013
|
|
|
|