ABD has enhanced its SPMM system.

The new BSR measures the change in steering and camber angles of the wheels of a vehicle due to vertical movement of the suspension, together with the suspension bounce stiffness and X,Y, and Z movements of the wheel centers. It does so by subjecting the suspension system to vertical forces and displacement relative to the vehicle body. It is a pseudo-static device that applies forces slowly so it does not excite any dynamics emanating from suspension components.

The BSR comprises two wheelstations, a measurement system, a control and software system and bed plates and is primarily designed to be mounted into a special pit, with the bed plates mounted at floor level. Adjustable-height clamps bolted in the bed plates, grip the underside of the vehicle to keep it stationary. An alternative installation requiring no pit is possible with two additional frames to which the bed plates are attached. Each wheelstation includes a load cell mounted on a horizontal frictionless air bearing, which is driven vertically along high precision linear rails by a ballscrew actuator and gearbox. The wheelstation assemblies travel laterally on rails to accommodate different vehicle tracks and can be moved completely out of the way for access to the suspension area beneath the vehicle.

ABD has also announced enhancements for its SPMM to increase operating speed, broaden testing flexibility, and reduce maintenance costs. Software now runs under Windows NT on a new dual computer system linked by a high-speed local network to enable dual access to the system's database, facilitating tasks to be carried out in parallel.

Stuart Birch