Test Stands and Benches

Test stands and test benches are laboratory surfaces upon which devices are tested. They are used for pressure or flow testing of system components, and in many different industries. For example, aerospace test stands are used as test benches for aircraft and flap actuators, hydraulic thrust reversers, jet engines, and gearboxes. Automotive test stands are used as test benches for gasoline and diesel engines, solenoid valves, and truck transmissions. Fuel cell test stands, turbo-generator test stands, and wind turbine test stands are used to test power-generation equipment. Industrial test stands and test benches for gas turbines, screw compressors, fluid flow dynamics, industrial valves, and medical devices are also available.

There are many types of aerospace test stands and test benches. Actuator test stands are designed to test the multiple power sources that drive actuators. Products with dual testing stations are used for both high-speed and high-torque measurements. They are used to test breakaway voltage, motor current, clutch current, decoupling torque, and decoupling time. Hydraulic test stands and benches are also available. They can generate a range of pressure and hydraulic flow. Some hydraulic test benches are automated or use proprietary software such as LabVIEW, a registered trademark of National Instruments. Engine starter test stands may also be fully automatic, and may generate inertia with a dynamometer instead of flywheels.

Test stands and test benches are used in a variety of automotive applications. Automotive engine test stands are used to monitor engine temperature and oil pressure. They may also feature a tachometer to monitor engine speed. Many test stand and test bench suppliers offer specialized products for other aspects of engine testing, such as fluid flow and valve action. Fluid flow benches are used to test fuel injectors for optimum engine performance and low emissions. Valve test stands and valve test benches are used to find leaks in hydraulic systems, and to analyze the function of solenoid-actuated valves in small components. With these test stands and benches, leaks are detected with pressure-decay or mass-flow sensors. Calorimeter test stands are used with calorimeters, specialized wind tunnels that are used to test the thermal and flow characteristics of air-cooled heat exchangers such as car radiators.

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