Overview
The new TÜV SÜD test center DYCOT (Dynamic Component Testing)
In November 2016, TÜV SÜD Czech opened its new DYCOT (Dynamic Component Testing) development laboratory in Mlada Boleslav, in which the company is offering a full range of services in the area of the development of safety components, as a competent and independent partner for automotive OEMs and their suppliers.
At the heart of the new testing center is an acceleration sled supplied by INSTRON. Rather than destroying a complete car in a crash test, this hydraulic sled system enables the generation of deceleration curves producing results identical to those obtained in an actual, destructive crash test.
More than a year has elapsed from the commissioning of the facility to the system running in 2-shift operation in order to cope with the high volume of tests conducted by TÜV SÜD on behalf of its customers.
For Dr. Martin Šotola, Manager of the Vehicle Safety Business Unit, a comprehensive service portfolio is the key factor enabling a service provider to meet present and future challenges in the automotive sector - as he explains below:
"A further extension of TÜV SÜD's testing capabilities with the acceleration system was installed in 2018: The new ALIS (Active Lateral Intrusion Simulation) system developed with the Spanish company ENCOPIM is now integrated into the INSTRON acceleration sled facility and taken into service. This system enables a more realistic simulation of the vehicle deformation occurring during a lateral impact and the biomechanical loads on the dummy compared to conventional systems. The next challenge is the safe testing of traction batteries for electrical vehicles on the acceleration sled facility. The integration of these additional physical testing capabilities extends our testing portfolio into the area of electromobility."
Martin Škopek, DYCOT Profit Center Manager and main user of the sled facility, said: "The Instron acceleration sled facility has now been in daily use for one year. The most rewarding aspect for us is the positive feedback we have had from our customers – mostly OEM´s and Tier 1 suppliers - regarding the results we achieved. Apart from highly dynamic test pulses, which can be reproduced realistically on the sled facility, we are able to generate all Low Speed Rear Impact Pulses with maximum precision (whiplash testing). With the test facility supplied by Instron, we are able to reproduce actual crash pulses with maximum precision whenever required."
A further highlight of the test system is Instron's simulation software CrashSim Office. This software allows us to simulate new pulses in the office without having to use the actual acceleration sled, thus enabling us to provide our customers with quick feedback on the feasibility of a new test. This saves time, eliminates the need for verification tests on the acceleration test itself, and may also support virtual simulation during development of a new product. Another benefit which we as users find very attractive lies in that the sled needs virtually no maintenance in day-to-day operation and is therefore available for testing round the clock.
