Measuring Temperature Distribution on Brake Discs

Claudio Vivante, Tools for Smart Minds

"The service offered by T4SM is absolutely positive. The greatest strengths of the system include competence, flexibility, and speed in delivering a solution. The product fully satisfied our demand. The software is very user friendly, complete, and helped us have better knowledge of the phenomena involved during test."

- Claudio Vivante, Tools for Smart Minds

The Challenge:

Performing brake tests on discs produced by an R&D department with dynamometric benches inside test chambers that are closed due to the presence of coolant oil, which makes the use of infrared cameras impossible, and requires a way to monitor disc temperature circumferentially and along the thickness.

The Solution:

Inserting various thermocouples into small gaps allocated circumferentially and along the thickness of the disc, using CompactDAQ hardware that is connected to a laptop with iDaq T4SM software that can automatically set up the acquisition system, and using the iDaq add-on 3D Sensor Mapping that can directly map real-time sensor values on the model installed.

Carlisle Brake & Friction is a worldwide leader in designing and producing brake, clutch, and transmission solutions. The Carlisle R&D department needs to perform braking tests on the discs they produce. These tests must:
• Reproduce customer practical conditions
• Measure temperature distribution on the disc during insertion phase
• Cross measure the temperature with brake bench sensors measurements (torque, pressure, velocity, and more).

 

 

 

Tests are executed with dynamometric benches inside test chambers that are closed due to the presence of coolant oil, which makes using infrared cameras impossible. For this reason, we required a way to monitor disc temperature circumferentially and along the thickness. Having more than one braking bench in the laboratory implies also having lightweight, robust, and portable stationing. Our solution must be easy and intuitive. Moreover, the application must permit a quick sensor setup and recovery of saved configurations to optimize time.

 

The solution consists of the insertion of various thermocouples into small gaps located circumferentially and along the thickness of the disc. The thermocouples connect to CompactDAQ hardware. CompactDAQ is a portable, rugged DAQ platform that integrates connectivity and signal conditioning into modular I/O for directly interfacing to any sensor or signal. We connected the CompaqDAQ to a laptop on which we installed iDaq and its add-on 3D Sensor Mapping. iDaq is a T4SM software that can automatically set up the acquisition system.

 

 

 

When used in combination with CompactDAQ, the features of iDaq make it a great solution for technicians and researchers who want to maximize productivity without learning all the details about sensor configurations. 3D Sensor Mapping for iDaq is an easy and quick tool we can use to load and display a 3D CAD model and place sensors on the model itself. Real-time sensor values are directly mapped on the model, so the object surface is colored according to NI acquisition boards, both local and remote. We can use the application to export the 3D mapped view in image format or create a sequence of images acquired at a constant rate.

 

The T4SM solution satisfies all the demands of the Carlisle R&D department. The main benefits include:

 

• More efficiency of analysis software for data collection
• Easy and quick visualization of disc temperature through a 3D picture
• One-click measurement system setup
• Modular solution makes it easy to expand the data collection system with new sensor types
• Viewer for data post-processing included in 3D Sensor Mapping
• Effortless system shifting from a brake bench to another

 

The T4SM solution satisfies all the demands of the Carlisle R&D department.

 

 

 

Author Information:

Claudio Vivante
Tools for Smart Minds
info@toolsforsmartminds.com

Fig.1: 3D image computated with real time data from thermocouples
Fig.2: Test bench used for brake tests