A high performance data acquisition system that provides detailed information about NASCAR® racing cars'' suspension systems relies on position sensors from MTS Systems Corp, Sensors Div. Designed by Charlotte, NC-based Livingston & Haven, a distributor that provides solutions to the fluid power and motion control industries, the K-RIG DAQ uses Temposonics® G-Series GH sensors in a racing simulator that is significantly more affordable than other simulators on the market, and is used by the top racing teams in NASCAR.
"The key to this machine''s payoff is accurate position indication," said Craig Hill, engineering manager, Livingston & Haven. "The MTS Temposonics sensors not only offer the most precision in position measurement, they can be mounted inside the cylinder, making the electronics easy-to-use and durable."
The K-RIG''s sensors are mounted in cylinders, housed within columns on either side of the device, to avoid extraneous hardware and ensure reliability. The sensors interface with a proportional valve and a force-and-position digital controller. The car wheels rest on top of scale-pad-topped "legs" which, extending upward from the base, are also connected to the controller via the hydraulic valves, and when motion profiles are performed on each of the legs, engineers can plot the force-over-position curve of an individual wheel suspension package. These profiles identify interference fits, perform spring cataloging, and coordinate all data against shock travel and wheel travel, so a racing team can tune the suspension while it''s on the simulator. For NASCAR teams, this information translates to a faster tuning cycle and better performance, resulting in more wins for the teams using the machine.
"The key to this machine is that this information is acquired on the car, not on the track," said Hill. "The K-RIG acquires more data than onsite track testing without the expense."
The racing teams using the K-RIG saw a dramatic jump in their cars'' positions during the 2005 season as compared to the 2006 season, according to Hill.
Temposonics G-series hydraulic sensors bring microprocessor intelligence, programming, and diagnostics to systems where analog sensors are traditionally used. A more rugged version of the original G-Series product takes advantage of the patent-pending high-vibration-resistant (HVR) electronic housing and sensing element mechanical suspension system first developed for the mobile equipment market in MTS'' M-Series mobile hydraulic product line.
The next-generation Temposonics industrial standard G-Series products are capable of continuous operation at external vibration levels of 15 g (10-2,000 Hz, IEC standard 68-2-6) and surviving shock levels of 100 g (single hit, IEC standard 68-2-27). Using this new HVR design, these products can withstand 30 g vibration without interruption of normal operation. This will help simplify sensor installation design for customers making machinery with unusually high shock and vibration behavior, such as Livingston & Haven''s K-RIG.