Dampers need to be characterized and tested before they can be commercially produced.
A shock absorber, or a damper, is a device mainly used in the automotive industry. If you are driving a vehicle, whether it is a bicycle, motorcycle, your daily commuter, or an ATV, it has shock absorbers to dampen out transmitted forces from the road. This creates a comfortable ride with improved vehicle handling.
Dampers generate damping forces in relation to the velocity that they are operating. The higher the operating velocity, the higher the damping force. For optimized on-road and/or off-road performance of any vehicle, the damping force characteristics of the shock absorbers play an important role.
OEM shock absorber manufacturers and suppliers characterize a damper over a range of varied parameters, such as:
A range of velocities: The damper is cycled over a range of velocities where the resulting damping characteristics are analyzed.
A range of temperatures: Damping forces will be analyzed as the damper is swept thru a range of temperatures.
A range of cycles: The damper is cycled over an extended period of time and then analyzed for changes in damping forces along with component wear, to determine the durability of the damper.
AMAD, Inc. ‘s facility is equipped with an MTS 852 Damper Test System to serve automotive, aerospace and other industries that require characterization of their shock absorbers. With damper force capability of up to 24,500 lbfs, 10 inches of travel and up to 250 in/s operating velocity, AMAD, Inc. can serve testing needs of all automotive, aerospace and military industries. With our environmental chamber installed on the damper test system, we can also simulate arctic operating conditions, as low as -70℉ and extremely hot temperatures exceeding 400℉ .