Axle Test Rig

The system was designed to automate the running of a high speed axle test rig so that unmanned endurance tests of the axle differential could be carried out safely. Controlled and emergency shutdown routines were implemented so that in the event of a failure of the axle or differential, the rig can be properly stopped and a shutdown history log is created for later analysis.

An unlimited number of spreadsheet style test schedules can be defined in the system.  They are broken down into a number of phases, each of a defined length or number of rotations of the axle, and for each phase the required input speed, input torque, output differential, logging requirements, alarm limits, and any braking to be applied, is defined.  In addition, differential cooling parameters are also passed to three Prodigy software controllers.

All signals were recorded so that tests could be reviewed in the trending facility or in the form of printed reports.  As the test data is also held in an Access database format, it can also be copied over the network link to individual engineer’s desktop PCs for further analysis.

If you would like advice on a test project contact us.