Berghof Automation once again sets new standards
Once again, Berghof Automation confirms its reputation as a pioneer in inspection technology: By expanding its BLDC climatic endurance test bench with complex mechanical testing, the company is setting new standards in the field of e-drives and thus opening up new fields of application. Special feature: The components to be tested are placed in an oil bath for the entire operation. This means that the subsequent working conditions of BLDC motors can now also be optimally simulated for new applications, such as for automatic transmissions in vehicles. This is the first time that Berghof has combined electromechanical testing of a BLDC motor with mechanical testing. “This has been our personal highlight, but also the biggest challenge in this project,” summarizes Peter Deckelmann from the Technical Sales department at Berghof Automation.
The basis of this new approach is the Climatic endurance test bench for BLDC motors, with which Berghof Automation has already made a name for itself in the inspection industry. Using highly dynamic servo drives as the load motors, the test system is able to simulate real dynamic, active and passive load profiles.
The high flexibility of the basic system is maintained
It is completely irrelevant which brushless DC motors are involved – because the test system can handle up to eight different variants of test item simultaneously, each of which it controls asynchronously. With the freely programmable load profiles, the actual loads of the BLDC motors can be simulated, which gives the system the greatest possible flexibility. This also allows customers to quickly and easily create individual profiles for new load scenarios that may emerge.
As usual, the test items are also tested in a climatic chamber in order to simulate their different temperature conditions in vehicle operation as accurately as possible. Thus the simulation of limit loads is also possible. Current, voltage, position, speed, torque and temperatures are recorded.
Changing conditions call for new approaches
In this new application, the vehicle engine is permanently in oil in an automatic transmission. Consequently, in addition to the previous concept, it is also necessary to test the item under real conditions in an oil bath – in relation to different temperature and contamination conditions. The new system from Berghof works with the original oil from the vehicle. The endurance test bench simulates a vehicle environment and the entire service life of an automatic transmission, at a temperature range of -40 to +150° Celsius, in both clean and dirty conditions. This concept can also be used to simulate a stationary oil bath or oil circulation.
The BLDC test system has been and will continue to be used in development and audit testing, as well as in quality monitoring alongside our customers’ production. The BLDC motors that were tested serve as drives for braking systems, pumps and adjustment mechanisms in the vehicle, for example.
To the article “Test bench with highly dynamic load units for BLDC motors” by Peter Deckelmann
