NEU-ULM, Germany — Dana has announced plans to build a new engine and component testing center at its facility on the Danube River in Neu-Ulm, Germany. The is the second largest investment Dana has made in this facility since the plant was established in 1947.
The new testing center will consist of three engine test benches, a hot gas test bench and a vibration test system with a built-in acoustic measurement room. The new building is topped off by installation areas and office spaces and recreation rooms.
“As Dana meets the requirements of the future – especially for customer-specific engine configuration and additional measurement instrumentation such as acceleration and sealing gap measurements – the new building gives us space for test benches that are nearly twice as large, which puts us in an ideal position to meet all present and future customer requirements,” said Hans Lintner, the engine test bench project manager.
The existing test benches for car and truck engines are configured for performances ranging from downsizing power units with an engine displacement of 0.9 l to six-cylinder in-line power trains with engine displacement of 13.0 l.
Whether at the customer’s request or for internal research and development purposes, Dana tests the entire Victor Reinz product range – from sealing, shielding, and valve cover systems for the automotive industry to original service parts for the aftermarket.
In addition to the engine configuration (including the entire car exhaust system and engine control unit), the new test benches also allow engine-specific cooling circuits to be incorporated into the test environments. This is where Dana runs thermal shock programs with the shortest of cooling cycles and low-temperature cooling systems with engine oil temperatures as low as –20 °C and rinsing procedures with antifreeze cooled down to –30 °C. With its maximum fuel performance of 400 kW and gas temperatures of up to 1,100 °C, the hot gas test bench creates great stresses close to the engine.
Dana uses its vibration test system (which it calls “the shaker”) to speed all newly developed items, especially shielding components, up to engine-level vibrations. Modern measurement devices record noise emissions in the built-in acoustic measurement room so that components can be designed to be even quieter in the future.
The test benches also are ideally suited to alternative power units and fuels, Dana says, thanks to their engine configuration in the direct proximity of the vehicle and high-grade automation system, which enables realistic driving programs and much more.
