Tech Briefs
New powertrain-test facility

A 5.9-L engine at 5500 rpm wide open throttle at the new center.

With the opening of DaimlerChrysler's Powertrain Test Center, located in five building wings of DaimlerChrysler's Technology Center in Auburn Hills, MI, engineers have been able to cut months off the development and testing process. Older generation dc dynamometers have been replaced with more reliable, state-of-the-art ac units. The new equipment replicates powertrain performance under the transient throttle and load conditions typical of real-world driving conditions, allowing engineers to calibrate and fine-tune powertrains much earlier in the design process.

"Repeating identical conditions test after test is impossible in the real world because road and weather conditions naturally vary," said Harold Page, Director of Powertrain Laboratories at DaimlerChrysler Corp. "By creating real-world conditions in a controlled test environment, powertrains are subject to the same conditions continually and reliably, which results in more accurate data."

The 23,225-m² (250,000-ft² ) facility was constructed at a cost of $300 million ($24 million below budget). Resources in the new powertrain facility include:

• 15 specialty testing cells
• 8 rear-wheel-drive powertrain development sites
• 60 engine durability and reliability sites
• 26 engine performance sites
• 20 front-wheel-drive powertrain development and durability sites.

"Locating the testing facility and platform engineers under one roof at the DaimlerChrysler Technology Center gives the company a competitive advantage," said Page. "Engineers have immediate access to the testing (data) and their participation in the development process is greatly enhanced."

The facility's test cells provide more wide-ranging and extreme environments and conditions than in the past, responding quickly and accurately to temperature and pressure changes. The cold and hot cells range from temperatures of -54° to +116°C (-65° to +240°F). The engine altitude chamber allows engineers to recreate mountain driving tests by simulating temperature, humidity, vehicle loads, and altitudes up to 3960 m (13,100 ft). Real-world simulation tests are conducted 24-hours per day and include engine mechanical development; engine, transmission, and total powertrain durability testing; engine performance dynamometer testing; catalyst aging tests; and diesel engine tests. Heavy-duty trucks above 3855 kg (8500 lb) can also be accommodated.

The entire facility is isolated from the environment outside the lab, ensuring that no test water leaves the facility or flows into the city water system. DaimlerChrysler estimates that the Powertrain Test Facility will save the company $2 million in electricity each year because continuous testing at the facility generates 20% of the complex's electricity needs.

Jean L. Broge