Gaydon Technology Partnership centre
Introduction
On the 22nd of February we visited the Landrover site in Gaydon also known as the Technology Partnership Centre.The guide spoke to us about what the establishment does and how it works in the context of Physics.Its main purpose is as a Design and test centre which incorporates a variety of areas:-Concept Design
-CAD and Modelling
-Prototyping
-Component Testing
-Whole Vehicle Testing(static or on a test track)
-Design Modification and improvement
During the visit we looked at several areas in detail and how their work relates to physics these were the semi-anechoic chamber where sound is tested,the safety test area and in particular the crash sled and pendulum rig,and the rapid prototyping area where CAD and lasers are used to make accurate prototypes of the finished components without having to use tools.
Purpose of Physics
Here I will look in more detail at two specific areas at the purpose of the testing and how and why the physics is applied,these are the semi-anechoic chamber and the crash sled in the safety test area.
.SEMI-ANECHOIC CHAMBER is the area where the car is tested for the noise level its engine and other parts of the car vibrating at specific frequencies produce.This vibration has to be stopped or cut to a minimum by either increasing stiffness or absorbing them.The legal level of noise from a car is 74 dB as above this it would be deemed as noise pollution and also the more noise it makes the less economical the car is as energy is being wasted in vibrations creating the sound waves.This used to have to be tested outdoors but this created a problem as it could only take place on a clear windless day.The £2.7mill chamber is built to replicate a day like this and to simulate an open road or field.This is done by only being semi as noise is still allowed to reflect off the floor,but on all other walls the reflection is cut to a minimum by having a sees of wedges placed on the walls and ceiling they are made of aircraft seat foam which is very good at absorbing sound also the shape makes any sound waves which are reflected scatter so this reduces echo or reverberation further.This allows the acoustics to be measured accurately.The same technique is used in concert halls.The sound is measured using 24 microphones placed in two rows 7.5m from the car and the noise level is measured by transmitting this data to computers.
Introduction
On the 22nd of February we visited the Landrover site in Gaydon also known as the Technology Partnership Centre.The guide spoke to us about what the establishment does and how it works in the context of Physics.Its main purpose is as a Design and test centre which incorporates a variety of areas:-Concept Design
-CAD and Modelling
-Prototyping
-Component Testing
-Whole Vehicle Testing(static or on a test track)
-Design Modification and improvement
During the visit we looked at several areas in detail and how their work relates to physics these were the semi-anechoic chamber where sound is tested,the safety test area and in particular the crash sled and pendulum rig,and the rapid prototyping area where CAD and lasers are used to make accurate prototypes of the finished components without having to use tools.
Purpose of Physics
Here I will look in more detail at two specific areas at the purpose of the testing and how and why the physics is applied,these are the semi-anechoic chamber and the crash sled in the safety test area.
.SEMI-ANECHOIC CHAMBER is the area where the car is tested for the noise level its engine and other parts of the car vibrating at specific frequencies produce.This vibration has to be stopped or cut to a minimum by either increasing stiffness or absorbing them.The legal level of noise from a car is 74 dB as above this it would be deemed as noise pollution and also the more noise it makes the less economical the car is as energy is being wasted in vibrations creating the sound waves.This used to have to be tested outdoors but this created a problem as it could only take place on a clear windless day.The £2.7mill chamber is built to replicate a day like this and to simulate an open road or field.This is done by only being semi as noise is still allowed to reflect off the floor,but on all other walls the reflection is cut to a minimum by having a sees of wedges placed on the walls and ceiling they are made of aircraft seat foam which is very good at absorbing sound also the shape makes any sound waves which are reflected scatter so this reduces echo or reverberation further.This allows the acoustics to be measured accurately.The same technique is used in concert halls.The sound is measured using 24 microphones placed in two rows 7.5m from the car and the noise level is measured by transmitting this data to computers.
