International Dealer News IDN 137 June/July 2017 | Page 19
news ROOM
New test rig for brakes
Spanish manufacturer Galfer
has developed a new inertia
dynamometer test rig for brake
friction control – allowing the
accurate testing of pads and
discs and the materials they are
made from and the
manufacturing processes used
to make them.
Based on the company’s 60-plus
years of experience in
developing and manufacturing
friction materials, the rig is the
result of some 30 months of
development, and it has been in
use at its Granollers facility near
Barcelona since 2016.
Described by the company as a
key component in their
research, development and
innovation of brake
components, this versatile tool
is able to simulate braking
conditions and variables, and to
control and analyse key
performance parameters such
as speed, braking power,
coefficient of friction, fade
effect, pressure on the lever and
in the pump, sensitivity to that
pressure, caliper, pad and disc
temperature and resistance and
durability.
Tests can be customised for OE
and OES standard validations
and certification as well as for
developing new materials. The
vast range of applications
allows simulation of every kind
of vehicle, from a scooter at 40
km/h to a custom motorcycle
weighing more than 450 kg.
Using real telemetry data in the
bench testing programme
(obtained at closed speed
circuits, with speeds in excess of
350 km/h) has marked a “real
milestone in our research,
design and innovation”, said
Export Sales Manager Ivo
Bristot.
“The test rig is driven by an
electric motor with a max.
power of 285 CV (210kW) and
has state-of-the-art digital
technology. It has a speed range
of 0-360 km/h and temperature
range of up to 800 degrees
centigrade, meaning we can
broaden and deepen the test
parameters we are able to
subject our materials and
products to, speed up the
testing and validation process,
and quickly respond to new
market opportunities and
demand from our distributors
and dealers. It really does take
brake testing into a new
dimension. Everybody should
check out the demonstration
video on our website”.
www.galfer.eu
Connected future
BMW has presented a vision of zero-
emission urban mobility on two
wheels - the BMW Motorrad Concept
Link. Inspired by the BMW Motorrad
Vision Next 100, the design study
“unites digital connectivity with the
demands of urban mobility on two
wheels. It treads new paths and moves
beyond established conventions, both
with regard to design and
technology,” the company says.
“The Concept Link is not based on
today’s concepts, but rather meets the
basic functionality needs, the technical
architecture and the digital reality of
today’s users. The technical realities of
electric drive – such as the flat energy
packs in the underfloor and the
compact drive on the rear