Case Studies

Tribology Specimen

Hydraulic Fluid Tribology Testing

Posted in LabVIEW, Test & Measurement Automation

Summary

DMC developed custom software for a tribological test system to be used in materials laboratories.  DMC provided control methods, a data acquisition system, and data analysis capabilities for the testing of hydraulic fluids.

Auto Mode Testing

Auto Mode Testing

Data Analysis Trends

Data Analysis Trends

Calibration Screen

Calibration Screen

Tribology Test System

Tribology Test System

Solution

DMC developed the software to control a system for the hydraulic testing of axle-type specimens. These specimens are gripped in a rotating jaw, where the system applies varying loads to them through "V" blocks. The specimens can either be run dry or with lubrication. As the test is run, specimen temperature, fluid temperature, load, speed, torque, and wear measurements are recorded. Using this data, the friction, wear, and extreme pressure properties of fluids are evaluated. The system uses LabVIEW to control load and speed through PID loops. Temperature is controlled by cascading PID control of the heater element with the specimen or fluid PID loop. The software allows manual operation, as well as defining and running auto-test profiles. In addition, data analysis on current and old tests, including trending and variable comparisons, can be done while a test is running.

Customer Benefits

  • High measurement accuracy and resolution allow minute properties of the specimen to be observed
  • Live data viewing enables real-time confirmation of system activity easy diagnosis of issues.
  • Historical data viewing allows traceability of test results required for certified laboratories or tribological standards development.

Technologies

  • National Instruments LabVIEW®
  • National Instruments PC-MIO-16XE-10 multipurpose I/O board
  • CyberResearch® 24 digital I/O board
  • 5B series signal conditioning modules
  • Compumotor® DC servo motor with BEI encoder feedback