The automotive segment is one of the toughest markets with the highest quality standards worldwide. The requirements for test systems are correspondingly high. For the KFE Kompetenzzentrum Fahrzeug Elektronik (Vehicle Electronics Centre of Competence), we have built a climatically controlled Dynomometer Test Chamber that is used by research institutions and automotive and component manufacturers.
Unique building concept
The construction of climate chambers and roller test benches often demands compromises since they must be integrated into an existing building. In the case of the roller test bench at the KFE in Lippstadt, optimal planning was possible right from the start as the building could be constructed around the test bench. For this reason the cellar was first excavated and topped out. After that, he heavy rollers were integrated. Only then was the building completed – around the rollers. In order that the roof of the building did not have to be removed if necessary, an additional cellar shaft was constructed to permit easy replacement of the 42“ rollers.
Thanks to the freedom to plan the building, the layout of all the pipes and lines for fresh air and circulated air could be optimised. This increases efficiency and ensures that the system can be easily cleaned and maintained. The collaboration is described by Wolfgang Hartmann, General Manager of the KFE, as follows: “In Weiss Umwelttechnik, we found a competent, committed and cooperative partner for the future. The company supported us with advice and practical assistance in every phase of the project and helped us to realise our ideas exactly as planned."
The climate is made in the cellar
The heart of the climate chamber is the cellar. The fresh air drawn in is led down there and cleaned and dried in special units. It is then prepared as required and its humidity and temperature are adjusted so that exactly those conditions prevail in the climate chamber which are required for the test. Since air is continually withdrawn from the chamber by the engines of the vehicles and discharged externally as exhaust, this volume of air must be replenished in the chamber.
Versatile Climate Dynamometer Test Chamber
The 80 m2 Climate Dynamometer Test Chamber and Sun Simulation meets all the requirements of the automotive industry and the scientific community. It is suitable for cars and SUVs with a wheelbase of up to 3.20 m. The climate chamber produces climate conditions from –30 °C to +50 °C with up to 80 % relative humidity. In addition, it permits sunlight simulation at up to 1000 W/m2. On the test bench, an airstream blower creates wind with a velocity of up to 120 km/h, proportional to the simulated driving speed. "Thanks to Weiss Umwelttechnik, vehicles drive on our rollers from the Sahara to Alaska without moving. This enables us to simulate the widest range of conditions of use and make reliable statements to our customers about their vehicles or individual components," explains Tobias Möller, Head of Marketing & Sales at KFE, regarding the performance range of the installation.
Precise test conditions with the smallest control variations
The sophisticated climate control technology permits climate conditions to be produced to the nearest degree. A decisive contribution to this is made by the proven and versatile control system. In practice, endurance and stress tests of individual components or complete assemblies take place in the chamber. It is used by both researchers and the automotive industry and delivers valid test results which take the German automotive standards into account.
