Half-axle Test Bench
The half-axle test benches serve to test half-axes with pneumatic struts of different dimensions.
The semi-axles are driven by two hydraulic cylinders (Z-cylinder and steering cylinder each 50 kN); the Z-cylinder is connected to the test piece by means of a rocker and a coupling rod, and the steering cylinder is directly connected. The steering cylinder applies the corresponding track rod forces to the spring strut; this is measured by a force transducer.
The semi-axles are mounted to the corresponding holders in the climate chamber, and the pneumatic spring strut is supplied by an automatic compressed air supply.
FGB has come up with a special safety concept for the machine:
The endurance tests are only carried out in automatic mode when the safety door of the climate chamber is closed. During tooling, the work can be carried out when the climate chamber is open; to this end, the movement of the test cylinders is limited to a reduced speed of 10 mm/s. This also guarantees the compressed air supply of the pneumatic strut. In observation mode, it is possible to operate the test cylinders at a high speed when the climate chamber door is open for acoustic assessment of the test piece.
The hydraulic aggregate is installed in a separate room in which there is an emergency-stop button. This emergency-stop button only deactivates the hydraulic aggregate and the heat exchanger when pressed. There is also an emergency-stop button on each of the semi-axle test benches that can shut down the respective semi-axle test bench and the climate chamber. The emergency-stop buttons of the climate chambers are integrated into the semi-axle test benches and guarantee a secure overall system.