Component Test Systems
The development and validation of structural components requires physical testing that accurately reproduces the dynamic loads, displacements, and accelerations a component will experience in real-world service — under representative environmental conditions where required. Computational durability analysis provides a strong foundation, but laboratory verification under realistic loading conditions remains essential for confirming that components and assemblies will remain fail-safe throughout their expected service life.
Instron's component test systems are application-optimized servohydraulic rigs used in research, development, and quality assurance — designed to introduce controlled forces, displacements, and accelerations into components and structures with the accuracy and repeatability required for reliable durability assessment.
How Component Tests Are Structured
Component tests typically use block programs that introduce dynamic loads into the specimen in a controlled sequence. In automotive engineering, load targets are often derived directly from vehicle test measurements — reproducing the actual loads experienced by a component during proving ground testing in an accelerated laboratory environment.
Standardized synthetic load programs are also widely used for specific applications, including:
- CARLOS TC — standard load sequence for trailer couplings
- European EUROCYCLE — standard load sequence for wheel testing
- AMME — load sequences for rail vehicle applications
For specialized or novel applications, Instron works directly with customers to develop custom test systems based on application-specific requirements.
Applications
Instron's component test systems cover a wide range of applications across automotive, rail, wind energy, and general industrial sectors. Examples of completed test rigs include:
Automotive
- Trailer couplings (CARLOS TC)
- Exhaust systems (ARTEL)
- Car chassis (FDFP)
- Vehicle joint wear testing
- Truck crankshafts in resonance mode
- Truck frames
- Truck cab structures
- Engine blocks, cylinders, and connecting rods
Wind Energy
- Screw connections and hub bearings for wind power plants
Rail
- Bogies of rail vehicles
- Rail vehicles with AMME load sequences
Many further applications across these and other industries are supported. Contact Instron to discuss your specific component testing requirements.
Related Products
Software
RS LabSite® modulogic is a modular software suite designed for structural durability testing and virtual prototyping. It supports open and closed-loop control of durability tests, real-time data collection, and service load simulation for individual components or complete vehicles.
The package consists of four modules:
- RS BasTest RT — digital pre-processing of test signals
- RS Analysis — single and multi-axial load simulation
- RS TWR — specific analysis procedures for durability evaluation
- RS Monitoring — multi-stage test reporting and documentation
All modules run under Windows and can be configured to suit the specific requirements of your testing program.
Talk to an Instron Expert.
Instron's component test systems are developed in close collaboration with customers to meet application-specific requirements. Whether you need a standardized test rig or a fully custom solution, our team in Darmstadt has the expertise to help.
Contact Our Sales Department.
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