A Triaxial Automotive Wheel Force and Moment Transducer

A transducer capable of simultaneously measuring the dynamic forces and moments acting on the front or rear wheel of an automotive vehicle has been jointly developed by Ford Motor Company and GSE, Inc. This transducer was designed to be used on passenger cars with 13, 14, or 15 inch wheels. It is adaptable to laboratory wheel and tire testing machines. An instrumentation package that provides electrical excitation, signal conditioning, and cross-talk compensation for the transducer was also developed.

The operational features of the transducer and the transducer instrumentation package as well as an assessment of some of its applications will be presented using functional block diagrams. Specifications for the system are listed and calibration data and road evaluation data will also be presented.