TESTING: COPING WITH THE CRUNCH

This article describes methods of testing motor vehicles and their tires. Features described are proving grounds, vehicle parameter sensors, data collection and analysis, computer applications, electronic test equipment, automatic testing, mechanical test equipment including wear-testing of tires and cold testing, crash test sleds, "road simulators" for cars, non-destructive testing. Allegany Ballistics Laboratory of Hercules, Inc., has a formal methodology to determine what should be tested on a component or vehicle in terms of cost, and probability of failure. This method is called "risk" or "fault analysis" and draws from the disciplines of system analysis, RAM analysis (reliability, availability and maintainability), fault-tree analysis and cost/benefit analysis. Tire companies are now using a holography unit that X-rays the inside of the tire. It allows engineers to view what is happening to a tire during a test. They can project tire failures without having to cut the tire open and then run another out on the track to verify the projection.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/31209162
• Corporate Authors:

  Automotive Industries International

  Chilton Way
  Radnor, PA  United States  19089
• Authors:
  • MCELROY, J
• Publication Date: 1979-5

Media Info

• Pagination: p. 46-54
• Serial:
  • Automotive Industries
  • Volume: 159
  • Issue Number: 5
  • Publisher: Randall Publishing Company
  • ISSN: 1099-4130
  • Serial URL: http://www.ai-online.com

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Applications; Automatic test equipment; Automobiles; Automotive engineering; Benefit cost analysis; Crash tests; Data analysis; Data collection; Failure; Holography; Information processing; Mathematical analysis; Motor vehicles; Performance tests; Risk analysis; Statistical analysis; Testing; Tires; X rays
• Old TRIS Terms: Automatic testing
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Highways; Research; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00314853
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Engineering Index
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jul 22 1980 12:00AM