Clayton Industries

Clayton Manufacturing Company

Jack A Wilson

Hubert M Walker

A dynamometer for simulating the inertia and road load forces for motor vehicles is described. The dynamometer includes a moveable frame on which is mounted one or more rolls for engaging the driven wheel or wheels of the test vehicle, a power supplying and/or absorbing unit such as an electric motor and one or more mechanical flywheels. The moveable frame is pivotally mounted about the axis of rotation of the rolls. A force transducer is disposed between a point on the moveable frame spaced from the roll axis and a stationary surface for measuring a force which includes as components thereof the roll/wheel interface force and a force associated with the roll, motor and flywheel parasitic losses. A velocity transducer measures the roll speed. A controller responsive to signals from the force and velocity transducers and to the selected simulated inertia and road load controls the motor to supply power to or absorb power from the rolls so that the force applied to or received from the vehicle wheels is identical to the forces associated with the selected simulated inertia and road load.

Dynamometer for simulating the inertial and road load forces encountered

A dynamometer for simulating the inertia and road load forces for motor vehicles is described. The dynamometer includes a moveable frame on which is mounted one or more rolls for engaging the driven wheel or wheels of the test vehicle, a power supplying and/or absorbing unit such as an electric motor and one or more mechanical flywheels. The moveable frame is pivotally mounted about the axis of rotation of the rolls. A force transducer is disposed between a point on the moveable frame spaced from the roll axis and a stationary surface for measuring a force which includes as components thereof the roll/wheel interface force and a force associated with the roll, motor and flywheel parasitic losses. A velocity transducer measures the roll speed. A controller responsive to signals from the force and velocity transducers and to the selected simulated inertia and road load controls the motor to supply power to or absorb power from the rolls so that the force applied to or received from the vehicle wheels is proportional to the selected simulated inertia and road load.

Wheel-contact rollers for a vehicle test-bed have helical grooves formed in their outer surfaces to improve start-up friction by providing fast removal of water and other foreign materials from tire surfaces. The grooves are preferably formed by a thread-cutting or thread-forming process. The helical grooves should be equally-sloped left-hand and right-hand threads, in order to provide balanced side-to-side forces on the tire; however, the opposing left and right hand slopes may be formed on separate rollers, i.e., one slope on the left wheel roller and the opposite slope on the right wheel roller.

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West Covina, CA, United States of America

Jack A Wilson