Test benches, whether roller chassis dynamometers (for testing vehicles) or engine dynamometers, are tools useful to the performance measurement and characteristics of thrusters.
There are various types, which differ from each other mainly between:
A further important distinction comes from the presence or absence of a brake (useful for generating a resistant force) for which we usually speak of inertial or braked dynamometer test benches..
The Engine Test bench is the instrument used to measure all parameters of an engine's operation, including the power and torque curves, with the highest possible accuracy and repeatability (unlike on a roller test bench, where the inertias belonging to the transmission components, rims, tyres, etc. come into play).
On this type of dynamometer, the motor is installed and connected directly to the axle of the eddy-current brake and controlled from a special control room, in manual or automatic mode, thanks to the integration of special actuators.
It is mainly used in the fields:
These data, collected by the control and acquisition system by means of special probes, they can be subsequently analysed and processed by special processing software.
The engine dynamometer can also be equipped with special professional torque transducers, this is useful for in-depth analyses of dynamic behaviour, which is not possible with conventional load cells.
The dynamometer test bench brake, an asynchronous type electric motor can also be coupled, such that road driving cycles can be correctly simulated. We speak in this case of a 'TANDEM' engine test bench:
The asynchronous electric motor, working in parallel with the brake, is now a requirement essential for the correct reproduction of operating conditions on the road, including driving cycles (e.g. WLTP regulation), not only in type-approval cycles, but also in preapproval cycles.
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The roller test bench (often called dyno) for cars or motorbikes, mainly allows the detection of (without removing the engine from the vehicle) torque and power curves.
It can in turn be equipped with external sensors and acquisition systems, mainly differentiated by type of application (performance development, diagnostics or homologation areas).
Where the engine test bench is necessary for processes such as pre-approval and type-approval, the roller bench proves to be an excellent tool for applications such as:
In the areas of diagnosis, calibration and sports preparation, part of our offer is the product range SPORT DEVICES, as exclusive distributors in Italy.
Discover the range of roller power test benches, equipped with an eddy current brake:
Test benches, when not equipped with a brake, are commonly defined as INERTIAL dynamometer test benches.
This type of bench is now considered obsolete, uses heavy rollers or flywheel masses, as a resistant force, in order to measure the performance of engines or vehicles.
The braked test benches (equipped with a brake) offer greater precision, repeatability of measurements and advanced functionalities, useful for the developer's and tuners work.
These features include e.g:
The above are just examples, among the many functions that a braked test bench can offer. Today, the type of most common brake on the test benches, it is the eddy current (or Focault) brake (Link to Wikypedia)
In order to achieve time savings during vehicle development, companies are increasingly trying to perform the same tests on the engine test bench, on the dynamometric chassis dynamometer.
The objective is to correlate the results in order to highlight differences (and their influencing factors), as well as of verify the results obtained on the engine test bench, with the advantage of reusing and comparing existing tests, in a testing environment entirely similar to the type of application in operation.
In each of these test environments various activities are performedincluding:
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