TRW Adds Advanced Test Circuit to Swedish Test Center
21 December 1999
TRW Adds Advanced Test Circuit to Swedish Test Center
KOBLENZ, Germany--Dec. 20, 1999--TRW has opened an advanced "handling" circuit at its Swedish Test Center in Arvidsjaur, Sweden, this month.The new circuit will facilitate the testing of braking system performance in snow and ice through testing advanced vehicle systems in acute road corners and twisty turns at most speeds.
Complementing and completing the existing test track range, the new handling circuit will allow difficult corner maneuvers as well as tricky left and right hand combinations to be carried out to exact customer specifications. Detailed test results can be derived for TRW systems such as Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) and anti-lock braking systems (ABS) which will serve to prove and further enhance performance.
An active safety system, VSC is an enhanced development of ABS which proactively applies the individual wheel brakes to stabilize the vehicle during lane change and cornering maneuvers, if required. VSC is planned to be the first system to be tested on the new circuit.
Built to detailed specifications, the handling circuit, comprising intricate combinations of road bends at a wide range of pre-defined radius, provides a firm basis for quantitative testing of VSC performance. Unlike ABS, where performance can be measured by stopping distance, VSC needs a novel approach to assessment.
"What makes this circuit so advanced are the bends and corners which all have detailed radius specifications which we designed. When we perform a test we want to know exactly at which radius, gradient and surface the vehicle did what and how well the system performed and responded - even the amount of snow, the time of day and at what temperature" said Josef Knechtges, chief engineer, vehicle stability control, Europe, TRW Chassis Systems, Koblenz, Germany.
"It is important to have a valid method which can measure VSC performance. Up until now, the industry has measured this in part by subjective driver experience. This new facility means TRW can compare all systems according to a well-defined standard, something which will prove that our systems have a high performance in this complex but real environment and, most importantly, can perform to the same level when on a real road. This testing puts TRW at the forefront of such test competence."
Winter testing will begin in December and will go through until the end of March and over 25 customers have been booked to attend testing sessions and presentations.
The new test center in Sweden opened in 1997 and, in addition to the new handling circuit, contains extensive facilities for brake testing including land and lake-based test tracks, a fully equipped workshop and office space for over 100 people.
TRW Inc. provides advanced technology products and services for the global automotive, aerospace and information systems markets. The company, headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, is one of the world's largest independent automotive component suppliers. TRW Automotive produces braking systems, steering and suspension systems and aftermarket replacement parts, electronic safety and security systems, occupant restraint systems and engineering fastening systems. The company's news releases are available through TRW's corporate Web site (www.trw.com).
Note to editors:
Photograph and test centre schematic available.