40 PROVING GROUNDS
VehicleDynamicsInternational.com • May/June 2020
Many facilities have
implemented
measures to help
ensure safety during
the Covid-19
pandemic, including
increased cleaning
procedures, social
distancing,
contactless security,
and limiting vehicles
to a single occupant.
For the time being,
check each facility’s
procedures prior
to visiting.
Winter testing
Test World opens new tracks
Test World in Finnish Lapland
opened new outdoor snow test
tracks at the start of 2020’s winter
season, increasing its outdoor test
capacity by 5%, with 4km (2.49 miles)
of new test tracks, bringing its
overall track length to 84km (52
miles). The company says the tracks
were created to meet growing
demand for tyre and vehicle test
services, and indeed selected
outdoor tracks were remodelled in
response to customer feedback.
Outside of the winter test season,
Test World’s indoor facilities operate
all year, allowing for controlled and
repeatable testing on wet and dry
asphalt. These facilities comprise a
410m-long asphalt track, with wet
and dry braking and longitudinal
aquaplaning areas, and the
availability of friction combinations
for split-μ (mu) testing. The company
is currently offering all customers
who book the outdoor tracks a
chance to trial indoor testing for free.
Also, one of Test World’s indoor
snow platforms is being converted
into an ice surface with controlled
temperature and humidity. The
surface is 16m-wide, which allows
testers to progressively drive across
the surface to test on fresh ice, at
speeds of over 100km/h (62mph).
The surface temperature and air
temperature can be controlled, and
cold boxes with direct access onto
the test tracks can be used to soak
vehicles to -40°C prior to testing.
Smithers
expands
winter
proving
grounds
Smithers has
expanded its Winter
Test Center in
Brimley, Michigan,
to create what the
company describes
as a winter
‘whiteboard,’ where
almost any scenario
can be recreated. The
track expansion
covers 130 acres,
including a 38-acre
snow field, a deep
snow area and an
expanded ice area,
as well as 13 acres
dedicated to
demonstrations,
training, and
exclusive use. There
is also a 30-acre
exclusive track area
for testing partners
working on site, and
a further 49 acres
available for other
testing partners to
expand with new
track surfaces. The
new facilities also
include a 5,304ft2
conference centre,
a cafeteria, and two
rental buildings with
garaging and offices.
Winter tyre testing in Lapland
A recent collaboration enables Applus+ IDIADA’s customers to
carry out tyre dynamics testing on snow and ice at Test World’s
facilities in Ivalo, 300km (186 miles) north of the Arctic Circle in
Finnish Lapland.
Customers will benefit from Test World’s indoor winter testing
facilities and extensive outdoor natural snow and ice tracks, as
well as specifically designed wet and dry surfaces for braking and
aquaplaning tests.
A skid trailer is also available for tyre adherence testing, as
well as for the characterisation of specific parameters of tyre
behaviour. The compact trailer’s tyre dynamics characterisation
capabilities can register tyre response when exposed to forces
and motions, both in free rolling and braking. Besides MF-tyre
and FTire parametric models, the skid trailer allows tyre
characterisation by means of lateral, longitudinal and combined
slip testing.
/VehicleDynamicsInternational.com