Dynamometers Types and Terms
Types of Dynamometers
- are good for measuring the torque of engines, which
remains constant in output, such as in tractors. These machines are
declining in use for testing racing engines because of the way the brakes
tend to overheat and the oil or water used to pump the brake becomes
too thin as the engine changes speeds.
- are dynamometers where braking drag is applied.
-
are a sub-type of engine-torque testing device, which measures the output
of torque at the wheel. The wheels of a vehicle either spin a drum or
a series of rollers, which are attached to the dynamometer, or the wheels
are removed and the wheel hub is mounted directly to the testers` input
shaft.
- is a machine that measures the power of an engine.
- are another sub-type of torque testing machines, which are hooked
to the engine directly as opposed to the wheel chassis. Research and
development departments at workshops and auto manufacturing plants use
this style of testing, as the engine can be tested without being inside
a vehicle.
-
are becoming the most widely used type of dynamometer in the torque-testing
sectors of both the commercial and racing automobile industries, because
they provide real-world results. The inertia of the roller drums is
measured to calculate torque, revealing the rate at which an engine
can accelerate a known rotational inertia from one rpm to another.
-
are chassis devices used to simulate actual road driving conditions
on a motor vehicle. Repair grade dynamometers consist of rollers, power
absorbers and inertia simulation, either mechanical or electrical.
-
function basically the same way as dynamometers do, but are designed
to test the torque of smaller mechanical devices other than engines.
Devices, such as precision screwdrivers and wrenches, need to have their
torque tested to ensure quality function.
Dynamometer Terms
- Temperature of the surrounding medium.
-
A vibration reading of a piece of equipment in good operating condition.
The baseline becomes a reference point for testing and monitoring.
- Also known
as maximum torque or pull-out torque, the highest torque that an AC motor
will produce with the application of rated voltage and frequency, and
no abrupt drop in speed.
-
The part of a motor vehicle that includes the engine, the frame, the suspension
system, the wheels, the steering mechanism etc., but not the body.
-
The letter on AC motor nameplates that signifies the locked rotor kilovolt
amperes per horsepower at rated frequency and voltage.
-
A machine that measures the power by absorption derived from an internal
combustion engine.
- The R.P.M. for an engine or generator, which is available at torque
capacity.
- For an engine or generator, it refers to the torque necessary
to produce its rated horsepower at full load speed.
- Unit of rate of doing work. One horesepower equals about 550 foot-pounds
per second or 746 watts.
-
Any motion or movement that is not in a straight line but remains constant
in velocity.
- The lowest torque that at an engine will produce from a standstill
position, as measured from all angular positions of the rotor, with rated
voltage applied at rated frequency.
- The
product of the torque available to do work times the rated R.P.M.
- The rotating
part of a motor or engine.
- Unit of measurement to determine power and torque.
-
The act of acceleration.
- The
measure of the force applied to produce rotational motion, usually measured
in foot-pounds.
- The
gears that transmit power from an automobile engine via the driveshaft
to the live axle.
- A reading
of the variation in the measurement of data over no less than three data
measurement intervals.
- The rate of change of position
in relation to time.
- The position of the pedal that allows the maximum amount of air
to pass into the intake manifold.