Non-contact torque transducer used on powertrain test rig

Climate change, urban air quality and the rising cost of energy have become defining issues of the 21st century. With energy consumption and exhaust emissions from vehicles and transport being significant contributors to these issues, governments across the world are seeking to secure a future where the air is safe to breathe and transport is more sustainable.

In the UK this has seen the introduction of the government's draft clean air policy, along with the announcement that sales of petrol-only and diesel-only vehicles will be banned from 2040, bringing the role of hybrid and electric vehicles to the fore. In evolutionary terms, these technologies are still in their infancy, and this is where AVID Technology comes in.

Based in the North-East of England, which is now a world-recognised centre for automotive development, AVID Technology is a renowned leader in the design and manufacture of electrified powertrain and advanced thermal management systems for heavy-duty and high-performance electric and hybrid vehicles. Its technology also improves conventional internal combustion engine efficiency through parasitic loss reduction, efficient thermal management, lubrication, electrified ancillary systems and waste heat recovery.

The company develops powertrain improvement systems for a wide range of electric and hybrid vehicle applications, including high-performance passenger cars, buses and trucks, as well as motorsport vehicles and off-highway machinery. Its high-efficiency electric motor and power electronics technology delivers class-leading electrified powertrains and propulsion systems.

Test rig

In order to test and characterise the high-performance electric motors used in electric and hybrid powertrains, AVID Technology designed and built a special-purpose test rig. Central to the design of the test rig is an innovative wireless rotary torque measurement device from Sensor Technology. These accurate, robust, non-contact surface wave acoustic (SAW) transducers offer significant advantages compared with strain gauges, magnetic torque sensors and optical devices that might be fitted to a conventional dynamometer for motor characterisation. Follow the link to read about how surface acoustic wave technology works.

TorqSense transducers are well suited to use in the stepper drive test rig. AVID Technology sales director Jordan Taylor explains: "The TorqSense transducer was chosen as it allowed us to use a fixed pedestal load motor and eliminate frictional losses and parallax errors from the load installation in the measurements. This allows AVID to produce very accurate performance characterisation results compared to a conventional motor dynamometer."

Not only has the sensor delivered superior and more accurate characterisation results, it also enabled AVID to design a simpler test rig.

Reporting that the device has performed flawlessly in the application to date, AVID Technology is confident that its test rig will be key in enabling it to provide even smarter powertrain electrification, delivering on its vision of a cleaner, greener world.

Go to www.sensors.co.uk/mbn to learn more about TorqSense transducers.