Driven to test

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As automotive manufacturers and suppliers continually attempt to cut costs and reduce development cycle times, outsourcing of testing is becoming more prevalent in the industry.

by Kami Buchholz, Detroit Editor

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Producing a road-ready vehicle means components and systems must meet governmental regulations as well as performance targets. Although automakers and many Tier 1 suppliers rely on a variety of in-house test cells and testing equipment to confirm that products meet specifications, outside testing vendors are gaining business as vehicle manufacturers and suppliers take the budget axe to unnecessary capital expenses.

Node 8 at Sverdrup's Driveability Test Facility (DTF) can simulate wind speeds up to 240 km/h (150 mph). Large turning vanes funnel air down to the 7.2-m (23.5-ft) diameter main fan. The test node can simulate thermal, aerodynamic, and acoustic conditions.

Because idled test cells and testing equipment can be as hazardous to business profits as idled assembly plants, the best profit plan mandates full utilization of resources. As such, one of the increasingly popular cash-conservation alternatives is retaining an independent provider to oversee test operations. Known as asset management, this next evolution of outsourcing offers financial benefits and reserved access to specialized testing.

One of the more comprehensive automotive testing environments is Sverdrup Technology, Inc.'s new $120-million Driveability Test Facility (DTF) in Allen Park, MI. The facility includes the world's first aerodynamic/acoustic/thermal test node. In use for only a short time, node 8 is a one-of-a-kind, full-sweep information generator. Consider how the node would function to test an air-conditioning system: The node's aerodynamic capability—with the possibility of wind speeds up to 240 km/h (150 mph)—would provide airflow through the air-conditioning system as well as around and through the vehicle. Node 8 also would subject the cooling system to a temperature/humidity envelope; temperatures in node 8 range from 0 to 54°C (32 to 130°F). In addition, employing a dynamometer means the air-conditioning system would operate under varying load conditions (i.e., idling or cruising at highway speeds).

That testing template provides a faithful representation of actual usage. "However, in today's competitive environment, this isn't enough. One has to optimize for the total driver experience, which includes NVH issues such as acoustics," noted Robert Norfleet, Senior Vice President of Sverdrup. "A wind tunnel with an ultra-low background noise level will allow you to simultaneously evaluate the acoustic performance of the A/C system, and this has a huge impact on driver satisfaction."

Sverdrup's DTF consists of three test nodes. Node 6 is devoted to altitude tests and can replace altitude conditions from 85 m (280 ft) below to 36,600 m (120,000 ft) above sea level.

A traditional climatic wind tunnel offers thermal and dynamometer capabilities, while a traditional aerodynamic/acoustic wind tunnel provides aerodynamic and acoustic capabilities. "In node 8, we've established a wind tunnel that offers all capabilities—a total simulation capability," said Norfleet. Although the usage example deals with a complete air-conditioning system, the same testing scenario applies to components. "Whether it is a compressor, or even a valve, the noise of components is as much an issue to driver satisfaction as is the thermal performance of the component," he noted.

The 18,580-m² (200,000-ft²) DTF also houses two additional climatic test nodes, each containing extensive thermal-soak capabilities and vehicle-preparation areas. The first activated testing area, node 7, features an environmental wind tunnel with temperatures ranging from -40 to +54°C (-40 to +130°F) and wind speeds up to 200 km/h (125 mph). Ford Motor Co. will schedule the majority of facility test time via a ten-year lease. The contract enables Sverdrup to broker open test time to others. Several automakers and Tier 1 suppliers already have utilized available open time, and more than 50 companies have expressed interest in scheduling test time. Excluding time taken by Ford, other companies are expected to tap 1000 h of test time by the end of 2001. A major appeal to using DTF is shortened product-development timetables. "This facility is designed in such a way so as to simulate many driveability tests in a matter of weeks in a repeatable manner, which cuts many, many months off the product-development cycle," said Norfleet.

DTF represents Sverdrup's first foray into automotive asset management. Sverdrup oversees all aspects of facility operations and maintenance. Lou Hickok, Vice President of Sverdrup and Manager of Sverdrup's Automotive Operations Segment, noted that asset management allows Ford to tap into Sverdrup's core competency—testing—while freeing Ford to focus on the production of automobiles. Sverdrup's asset-management responsibilities now cover all of the automaker's North American wind tunnels and cold rooms.

Twelve engines—ranging from 37 kW (50 hp) to more than 448 kW (600 hp)—can be installed simultaneously at AVL's Plymouth, MI, test facility.

The trend to outsource testing continues to gain momentum. "It's been building for a number of years, and as the market for testing grows, so too does the need for test facilities," said Terry Rhoades, Vice President of Powertrain Validation Operations for AVL Powertrain Engineering, Inc., headquartered in Plymouth, MI. In 2002, the design, analysis, research/development, and testing company will open its second North American test facility in Ann Arbor, MI, a complement to the 930-m² (10,000-ft²) Plymouth test center.

The Plymouth site's equipment consists of a single-cylinder research engine dynamometer; a 225-kW (300-hp) transient, double-ended dynamometer; two 328-kW (440-hp) transient, double-ended dynamometers; two 440-kW (590-hp) transient, double-ended dynamometers; two 500-kW (670-hp) transient single-ended dynamometers; a fuel test rig; an airflow test rig; gasoline, diesel, and alternative-fuel capabilities; and emissions cycle simulation.

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