AIM

Vehicle performance test with chassis dynamometer

OBJECTIVE
(1)To obtain the variation of engine power, wheel power and drag power with
vehicle speed.
(2)To study the performance of a vehicle in the third gear at different engine
speeds.

APPARATUS
Chassis dynamometer (LPS 2000)

PROCEDURE
(1)The chassis dynamometer was turned on.
(2)The vehicle was driven onto the rollers and secured.
(3)The trigger tongs that measure engine speed (rpm), oil temperature sensor
and exhaust gas temperature sensor were connected appropriately.
(4)The cooling air fan was turned on.
(5)The vehicle was run until it reached its operating temperature.
(6)The vehicle data was entered into the dynamometer computer.
(7)RPM measurement option was selected and any data needed was entered.
Case 1: Variation of engine power, wheel power and drag power with vehicle
speed
1. The Measuring Engine Power setting was selected and Continuous
Measurement was selected.
2. The required display range was selected.
3. The vehicle was accelerated in the 3rd gear by applying full throttle to
maximum rpm.
4. The graph of wheel power, drag power, engine power, and torque was
obtained.
Case 2: Performance of a vehicle in various gears at different vehicle speeds
1.
2.
3.
4.

Load Simulation and Constant Vehicle Speed were selected.

The target vehicle speed was entered.
The vehicle was accelerated in the selected gear by applying full throttle.
Values for power, engine rpm, and traction force were obtained in the target
vehicle speed.
5. The vehicle speed was increased in suitable steps.

CALCULATIONS
Traction Force=

Power
Speed

RESULTS
Ge
ar

Power
(kW)

Speed
(km/h)

Speed
(m/s)

Traction Force
(kN)

2n
d
3rd
4th

32

69

19.17

1.67

48
47.5

107
139

29.72
38.61

1.61
1.23

DISCUSSION
Traction power is the power generated by the engine that is used to generate
motion through tractive force. The traction force reduces as the vehicles speed
increases. This is because there is a high inertial force that needs to be overcome
for the vehicle to move, but as the speed rises, the inertial force decreases.
At initial conditions, when the vehicle is attempting to move, the fuel consumption
will be comparatively higher than when the vehicle is moving much faster. This is
a result of the engine trying to generate more starting force, thus using more fuel.
At acceleration, traction power is very important, as the wheels may spin on rapid
acceleration, if there is no traction forces present. This will lead to wasted fuel,
increasing fuel consumption. Therefore, there should be good traction power
available at the wheels to get the best performance and fuel economy.
The climbing performance of a vehicle will also be impacted if there is insufficient
traction power. This is because the rolling resistance of the road surface may not
be overcome by the wheels if there is no traction. Again, this will lead to bad fuel
consumption figures and is considered uneconomical.