Steering Column and Body Hardware Testing Lab

Our test facility provides functional and durability evaluations on steering column systems.   Dynamic and durability assessments are also offered on other components such as sway-bar and sway-bar links, carpet wear, body hardware, door panels and steering wheels are serviced as well.

Since the Steering Laboratory’s conception, we have prided ourselves on catering to our customer’s unique test requests and component evaluations.  Our experience and creativity allows us to develop, monitor and report observations and conclusions that have always benefited our customers.

Steering Column and Body Hardware Services

Equipment within the Steering Laboratory include 37 durability testing stations, numerous functional measurement devices, 4 torsional hydraulic vibration rigs, 2 environmental chambers, 2 electro-dynamic shakers and a tensile machine, and door slam machines.  This equipment allows for vibration, oscillation, ultimate, environmental, durability/reliability and functional testing.

Door Slam Systems

• Slam speed feedback control loop
• Force measurements and slam speed histogram capabilities
• All six vehicle enclosures (door, hood, decklid or liftgate) can be done simultaneously

MTS Dual Rotary System

• Two torsional stations with single or dual rotary inputs
  • 160 Nm, 400º/sec capable rotary inputs
  • Multi-plane and multi-angle rotary actuator set ups

MTS Rotary Vibration

• 565 Nm, ±45º, 50 Hz capable rotary input
• 5 kN, ±25 mm capable linear input
• Combined linear and rotary inputs

Tensile Machine

• MTS Insight 50
  • 50 kN capability
  • Column spacing of 405 mm
  • Vertical test space of 1,100 mm

NVH / BSR Testing

• Two Electro-dynamic shakers
  • LDS v890
    • 12,000 lbf, 2 inch displacement, 63 in/sec velocity with a 48” x 48” slip table
  • LDS v870
    • 7,600 lbf, 2 inch displacement, 50 in/sec velocity with a 32” x 32” slip table

Environmental Testing

• Two environmental chambers with a soaking area of 1m x 0.9m x 0.9m
• Soaking conditions ranging from -55º C to 155º C and 10% to 98% relative humidity
• Soaking area can also include fixtures for testing purposes during the soak schedule – pneumatic controls available

Instrumentation

• Various instrumentation components are available depending on the sensitivity of the measurements and/or required measurements:
  • Force and torque transducers
  • Digital and analog encoders
  • Pneumatic, hydraulic and electric actuators (linear and rotary)

Data Acquisition and Data Analysis

• National Instruments, HBM and MTS data acquisition equipment
• Multiple computation models available to aid in system analysis
  • Performance Curve Evaluation
  • Torsional Rate, Lash, Stiffness and Damping
  • Structural Lash and Bearing Hysteresis