A Wheel Dynamometer for Off-Road Vehicles Testing

The paper includes a description of a rotating wheel dynamometer developed for off-road testing of military vehicles. The purpose of the dynamometer is to measure all three forces and moments acting on a wheel at the same time. The dynamometer was designed as an autonomous measuring device, with on-board data acquisition system and power supply. Application of the dynamometer for testing of a vehicle requires only minor modifications of the wheel rim and the use of a wheel hub adapter. The device was designed for wheeled vehicles of weights ranging from 1.5 to 6 tonne. The dynamometer was installed on two different vehicles: a 1.6-tone SUV and a 5-tonne armored personal carrier. The paper contains detailed descriptions of the design and development as well as sample results from early road and off-road tests. Two of the advantages of the dynamometer over the existing, commercially available solutions are its low cost and versatility.