Heinrich Georg (UK) Limited has partnered with WMG, University of Warwick to design and build a Test Rig to test battery powered small motor units for use in light vehicle transport.
The Test Rig will be used for research & development and quality assessment of off-the-shelf motors, with the main focus of the project being urban mobility projects (small electric vehicles).
Martin Summers, Special Purpose Machine Manager at Georg UK, explains: “The design of the Test Rig aims to control the application of force profile that replicates what would precisely be happening to the motor when used in the real world.
“To understand this, we have to generate a similar load profile to that seen when the unit is in active service. This requires an understanding of changes in power from active to re-active, ie the generation of power when under load (for example when driving up an incline), and then the regeneration of power when braking or going down an incline and what effect this has on the on-board battery and its charging capability.”
Built within the Test Rig is sophisticated power analyser systems to record data and feed-back via a closed loop system using a cause and effect process.
To achieve an effective closed loop system, Georg UK have used National Instruments hardware combined with their unique, in-house designed software package to perform those exact requirements. The software has been developed following many years’ experience building regeneration rigs for the rail industry.
High accuracy mechanics have also been employed to ensure critical fine alignments of all dynamic components, along with a robust bed to prevent vibration or loss of control.
As the Test Rig will incorporate high speed rotational components safety is of paramount importance and the Rig will be fully CE certificated with safety guarding and shut down safety systems.
Steve Heinrich, Chief Engineer at WMG, University of Warwick, said: “We have earned a reputation for the quality of our research and are one of the UK’s leading research-led universities with strong links with industry. By pushing the boundaries for science and technology-driven businesses, we enable the transfer of knowledge into new areas that make a real impact on society and the economy.
“We have forged a new partnership with Georg UK in Wolverhampton to provide a unique dynamometer Test Rig for our research into powertrain technology for urban mobility. The project, which uses WMG centre High Value Manufacturing (HVM) Catapult funding, is being led by our Special Vehicle Projects team and the equipment will be available across WMG for research, teaching and external contract work.
“We have worked closely with Georg UK and it has been a team effort to arrive at a world class product.”
The Test Rig is currently being built at Georg UK’s Wolverhampton factory and will be completed later this year.
