Mustang Installs R&D Heavy-Duty Test Stand at Texas A&M

Mustang Advanced Engineering (MAE)—an American manufacturer of testing equipment, dynamometers and related products—has installed a custom dynamometer for the research and development of heavy-duty trucks, including electric-powered trucks, at the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) State Headquarters in Bryan, Texas.

TEES serves Texas through engineering- and technology-oriented research and educational collaborations, as this new test cell is used in cooperation with the Texas Department of Transportation.

The large dynamometer was installed below ground and contained in two rooms. The rolls section is in a climate-controlled room to simulate interstate driving in different road conditions and temperatures. The inertia wheel and load-simulating Power Absorption Unit (PAU) and AC electric motor are in a separate room where the temperature created by the load will not affect the test.

“This project was unique in regards that there was an existing dynamometer at the University that Mustang was able to reuse some existing parts and elements, which was a cost-reducing factor in the project,” said Michael Caldwell, senior account manager at Mustang. “MAE is more than capable of producing test stands at any scale,” Caldwell continued. “Our rugged design philosophy, along with state-of-the-art control technology, provides our customers unparalleled performance in these challenging applications.”

According to MAE, some features and benefits of this system are:

• Cost-effective, as the project reused components of a previously installed Mustang dynamometer at TEES, including the AC motor.
• This test system is used in cooperation with the Texas Department of Transportation for further research and development.
• Dynamometer rolls section is contained within a climate-controlled chamber.
• Capable of handling 80,000-pound GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) trucks, as per state maximum limits.