Product category:
DC/AC Inverters
News Release from: ABB | Subject: ACS 600 AC drives
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 04 May 2001
AC drives power novel automotive test
rig
The reliability of car timing belts, is being revisited following the installation by Slater Drives Systems of AC drives on an innovative test rig.
The reliability of car timing belts, is being revisited following the installation by Slater Drives Systems of AC drives on an innovative test rig Two test rigs, each using two 11kW and one 2.2kW ABB ACS 600 AC drives, have been developed by the Design Unit of Newcastle University and sponsored by Ford Motor Company
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 8 Feb 2000 at 8.00am (UK)
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The rigs are the first to test timing belts under conditions, which closely replicate behaviour of the belt on the direct injection diesel engine.
Traditionally, test rigs are designed to subject belts to various loading and environmental conditions, with belt geometry and loading not closely replicating behaviour on the engine.
Timing belts are often tested to verify their absolute strength, wear and resistance to environmental conditions, often neglecting important belt dynamic behaviour, which is unique to a particular engine design (belt wrap angles, length of free spans, belt flap, characteristic loading due to fuel injection etc).
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Using three ACS 600s on the test rigs to simulate belt geometry and forces experienced by a timing belt has solved this problem.
One drive turns a crankshaft pulley, simulating engine driving the belt.
A second ACS 600 acts in regenerative mode, controlling a braking motor to simulate the effects of drag losses in line with losses measured on the firing engine.
The third drive powers a torsional exciter head, specially developed by the University for this application, which simulates high amplitude torque pulses, typical to fuel injection cycles experienced in direct injection engines.
Engineers from the Design Unit, Newcastle University, contacted ABB Drives Alliance member Slater Drive Systems for a drive that would suit the application.
"We needed a drive that would be very flexible, easy to program and that would make it easy to interface with our own embedded control system.
Due to the nature of testing the preferred option was electrical power recirculation between the drive and brake motor, which could be easily achieved by connecting a DC link between the invertors".
"Slater Drive Systems recommended the ABB ACS 600.
We have found that this application uses many of the advanced control features of the drive, such as the ability to interface with an embedded microprocessor on the rig, which in turn communicates with an external PC via wireless radio link.
We have developed advanced data acquisition routines, which enable us to continuously monitor speed and torque of the motors as well as belt dynamic loads.
We are also using several interlocking options, that allow us to shut down the test rig if the inverter control parameters deviate from original settings, or belt dynamic load pattern suddenly change".
The new test rigs will enable realistic fatigue testing of timing belts off the engine under closely controlled conditions of static and dynamic torque, significantly reducing the time required to develop new belts with higher performance.
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