Driven to succeed
10/01/2013 HBK - Hottinger, Bruel & Kjaer
Linamar partners with Brüel & Kjær to develop its automotive engineering solutionsJanuary 2013 Ontario-based Linamar - one of Canada's largest automotive parts company - has partnered with Brüel & Kjær to work on the development of Linamar's products and automotive engineering solutions.
In 2003, Linamar acquired McLaren Performance Technologies, under which Linamar's product development group is organised at three locations, including Livonia, Michigan, USA.
The modern engine testing facility in Livonia can operate around the clock and houses 16 dynamometer test cells capable of doing endurance and reliability testing, steady state emissions testing, engine build tear down evaluation, powertrain engineering and design, noise and vibration studies. The NVH (Noise, Vibration, Harshness) group at McLaren focuses on gearboxes, drivelines, power transfer units (PTU) and rear drive units (RDU).
In 2010, Linamar commissioned a brand new NVH/ Durability testing facility at the Livonia site. Dr. Mike Browne, an Engineering Specialist with McLaren Performance Technologies (NVH, Driveline Systems/Powertrain Engineering department) was heavily involved in building this facility from the ground up.
Dr. Browne introduced Brüel & Kjær's data acquisition system, PULSE into Linamar, as he had successfully worked with Brüel & Kjær on the implementation of end-of-line product test systems using Production Test Advisor (PTA), at a previous job.
The new facility now boasts expanded capabilities for measurement of gear mesh excitation and Transmitted Error (TE). In addition to its existing Mini-TE test stand, the facility now has two new, state-of-the-art assembly test stands. As well as TE, radiated noise and other critical NVH characteristics, these test stands provide flexible, efficient and controlled operating conditions to determine the assembly level excitations during various operating conditions.
The TE and Mini-TE test stands both use a PULSE front-end as the primary data acquisition system
(analysis frequency range of 0 – 25.6 kHz) and a Brüel & Kjær Optical Tachometer. The new test stands also include a PULSE Data Acquisition System – 30-channels with Analysis Frequency Range of 0 – 25.6 kHz and 12 Aux. Channel Tracking.
The full case study is available to read at: http://www.bksv.com/doc/bn1137.pdf
For further information, please visit: www.bksv.com
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