Jackson Enterprises’ Enerpac test rig simulates crash forces for vehicle seat manufacturing safety
Test rigs with Enerpac’s hydraulic technology
Jackson Enterprises make test rigs using hydraulic technology from Enerpac .
Involved in the conversion of standard vans into specialist passenger transport vehicles, Jackson Enterprises designs test rigs that can suddenly impose more than three tons of force when trialling seat structure and seat belt anchoring points.
Forces such as this translate into more than 20G – or 20 times the force of gravity.
Jackson Enterprises wanted to impose 2250kg at the occupant centre of gravity and about 500kg at the seat frame centre of gravity. The ram load would be required to reach a peak of as high as 3100kg within between 0.5 seconds and 1.0 seconds and maintain it for a minimum of one second. Jackson Enterprises called in hydraulic specialist and Enerpac distributor, Jonel Hydraulics, to assist with the project.
Jackson Enterprises convert vehicles like Toyota HiAce, Mazda E2000, Nissans, Ford Transits, VWs, Mercedes Vito. They also undertake work for minibus vehicles such as airport buses, but also we do major conversions on wheelchair vehicles for the disabled, keeping safety always at a premium. Jackson Enterprises also ensure the seats and mountings were properly engineered, neither under-engineered, leading to failure; nor over-engineered, leading to excess weight, complexity and cost.
Working with Jonel Hydraulics Enerpac Product Manager Mr George Pavletich, Jackson Enterprises engineered a test rig incorporating a rugged 1.12 kW Enerpac ZE4 electric pump of a type subjected to heavy service demands around factories and mine sites. This was coupled to an accumulator through a manifold and controlled via cartridge valves so that a surge of force could be delivered to the two high force cylinders especially designed by Jonel Hydraulics for this task of simulating about 20G of force. The control system had to be able to accommodate pressure and load while accommodating a travel of 300mm during the test (assuming no outright failure).
16-Oct-2008