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MTS sensors help NASCAR teams race faster

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MTS sensors help NASCAR teams race faster

CARY, N.C (October 30, 2006) - MTS Corp., Sensors Division is supplying its Temposonics position sensors to the K-RIG, a high performance data acquisition system that provides detailed information about NASCAR racing cars’ suspension systems. Designed by Livingston & Haven, a Charlotte, N.C.-based distributor that provides solutions to the fluid power and motion control industries, the K-RIG utilizes Temposonics G-Series GH sensors in a racing simulator that is significantly more affordable than other simulators on the market, and is used by the top racing teams in NASCAR.

“The key to this machine’s payoff is accurate position indication,” said Craig Hill, Engineering Manager, Livingston & Haven. “The MTS Temposonics sensors not only offer the most precision in position measurement, they can be mounted inside the cylinder, making the electronics easy-to-use and durable.”

The K-RIG’s sensors are mounted in cylinders to avoid extraneous hardware and ensure reliability.

The cylinders are housed within columns on either side of the K-RIG. The sensors interface with a proportional valve and a force-and-position digital controller. The car wheels rest on top of scale-pad-topped “legs” extending upward from the base, which are also connected to the controller via the hydraulic valves, and when motion profiles are performed on each of the legs, engineers can plot the force-over-position curve of an individual wheel suspension package. These profiles identify interference fits, perform spring cataloging, and coordinate all data against shock travel and wheel travel, so a racing team can tune the suspension while it’s on the simulator. For NASCAR teams, this information translates to a faster tuning cycle and better performance, resulting in more wins for the teams using the machine.

“The key to this machine is that this information is acquired on the car, not on the track,” said Hill. “The K-RIG acquires more data than on-site track testing without the expense.”

The racing teams using the K-RIG saw a dramatic jump in their cars’ positions during the 2005 season as compared to the 2006 season, according to Hill.

The Temposonics G-series hydraulic sensors bring microprocessor intelligence, programming and diagnostics to systems where analog sensors are traditionally used. A more rugged version of the original G-Series product takes advantage of the patent-pending high-vibration-resistant (HVR) electronic housing and sensing element mechanical suspension system first developed for the mobile equipment market in MTS’ M-Series mobile hydraulic product line.

The next-generation Temposonics industrial standard G-Series products are capable of continuous operation at external vibration levels of 15 g (10-2000 Hz, IEC standard 68-2-6) and surviving shock levels of 100 g (single hit, IEC standard 68-2-27). Using this new HVR design, these products can withstand 30 g vibration without interruption of normal operation. This will help simplify sensor installation design for customers making machinery with unusually high shock and vibration behavior, such as Livingston & Haven’s K-RIG.

MTS Systems Corporation is the world leader in magnetostrictive linear-position and liquid-level sensor technology. MTS Systems Corporation is a global operation, with facilities in the U.S., Germany and Japan. In the U.S., the MTS Sensors Division has an ISO 9001 facility manufacturing rugged and reliable Temposonics position and liquid-level sensors. With a strong commitment to research and development, product quality and customer service, the Sensors Division is constantly seeking ways to bring the highest value to customers.

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