Leamington, UK-based Drive System Design has invested US$650,000 to expand its existing test capabilities. The commitment will see the installation of a new 450kW highly transient torque pulse simulator as well as a battery emulator.
“The ETPS machine allows highly repeatable testing of the transmission and driveline without requiring an engine, which may only exist as a virtual model or a scarce prototype in some cases,” said Rob Oliver, chief engineer at DSD.
“It is also more efficient because instead of burning large amounts of fuel and wasting the energy as heat, we are able to recover most of the electrical power consumed during testing.”
The ultra-low inertia ETPS machine enables the reproduction of firing torque pulse characteristics of almost any IC engine based on measured data or model predictions, at up to 800Nm steady state and 1600Nm transient torque.
High fidelity of reproduction enables the development of DCT, DMF and clutch systems, including shift behavior and NVH. Additionally, a frequency response, of up to 2kHz, means sufficient replication of torsional vibrations up to fourth engine order.
Moreover, DSD’s newest battery emulator aims to provide a controlled power supply, allowing a vehicle system to be tested without the usual battery pack constraints of charge/discharge behavior and the limitation of reducing available voltage. Output can be quickly varied up to 800V and 800A (continuous) and 960A (peak), equivalent to a 300kW e-machine, and the unit is both modular and scalable.
“These latest additions to our test facility reinforce our ability to design, develop and validate hybrid drivelines in their entirety, encompassing everything between the battery pack and the wheels,” concluded Oliver.