Modular test bed for magnetic brakes characterization and durability testing

Brakes for truck and tractor agricultural servo systems are produced in huge volumes and can be found on several heavy duty models exploited for different applications as the crop fields plowing or for long distance travels. The reliability of these components is crucial in determining some characteristics of the vehicle and in the assessment of the application field requirements. In the present paper the authors present a modular system designed to test simultaneously up to three brakes. The system is simple and relies on an electric motor, a torque meter and opportunely designed constant current drivers to supply the desired braking couple to the test shaft and derive a full characterization in terms of both current and torque during the aging cycles. In this way the proposed system can allow to discriminate among brakes production process variability.