Component Performance Characterization
The Automotive Components unit of the Structure and Component Characterization group quantifies the performance characteristics of vehicle (automotive, trucking and aerospace) components and assemblies, including the fabrication of high integrity prototypes for engineering evaluation.
We have provided engineering solutions to industry, national, state, and local government agencies and scientific research organizations for more than 25 years. Projects range from fabricating transmission clutches with prototype friction material to designing and executing PPAP validation plans for new components.
Our laboratories for automotive component work are located in the Shroyer Park Center on the University of Dayton campus:
Prototype Bond/Build Lab
- Clutch friction material laminating, segmenting and bonding.
- Component fabrication and assembly (i.e. riveting).
- Post-test disassembly and inspection.
Elastomer Test Lab
- MTS Model 831.10 Elastomer Test System with environmental chamber.
- Three station spinning shaft seal test system.
Component Test Lab
- Non-spinning torsional stiffness, fatigue and durability testing to 100,000 in-lb. Fixtures for automotive/truck clutches, gears and shafting.
- Linear actuators (55,000 lb. max) and tooling for stiffness, fatigue and durability testing of components and assemblies.
- High response linear system for coil spring durability testing.
- Environmental enclosures and chambers for non-ambient air and submersed fluid testing.
- Hydraulic apply cyclic fatigue chambers for durability and deflection testing of pressure plates and pressure vessels.
Friction Material Lab
- SAE #2 dynamometer for transmission clutch friction material characterization.
- Modified SAE #2 inertial dynamometers for Torque Converter Clutch friction material performance measurements.
- Special differential slip (drag) dynamometer for long-term friction material wear measurements.
- Flow bench for characterization of permeable friction materials.
- Roller tester for friction material development and QC.
- I-Scan Tactile Pressure Measurement System
- Spin loss tester for measurement of clutch pack parasitic drag.