lTenneco Inc.
CUSTOMER CASE STUDY

Flexible, Reliable Performance for Damper Testing
MTS enables a global damper supplier to perform trusted tests
at the track, on the line and in the lab
C US T OM E R CH A LLEN G E

Tenneco develops innovative ride performance products for a wide range of passenger
cars, light trucks and commercial vehicles. The global company serves automotive
manufacturers across Asia, Europe, North and South America, Australia and South
Africa including leading brands such as Daimler, Ford, GM, Volkswagen and many others.
“All-electrical actuation is a big advantage.
You don’t need the power pack or thecooling system. And the performance isvery good for a wide range of frequencies
and velocities, without having to tune thesystems very often. That’s why we likethe MTS EMA Damper Test Systems.”— Kris Moria
Technical Team Leader for Testing and Instrumentation
Tenneco Ride Performance Division, Europe

What sets the company apart is its flexibility, according to Kris Moria, Technical Team
Leader for Testing and Instrumentation within Tenneco’s European Ride Performance
Division. While some suppliers prefer to focus on standardized products, Tenneco oftenadapts its designs to meet unique or emerging OEM needs, from new passive valve
systems to specialized components for a suspension system.
“We listen to our customers to find out exactly what they want,” Moria said. “Wecollaborate with them to develop appropriate solutions for the new technologies they
are bringing to market. The ultimate goals are driver comfort and an increased feelingof safety, so we try to be flexible and our customers appreciate it.”
The willingness to adapt is one of Tenneco’s biggest advantages, especially when it
comes to product development and testing. The company primarily produced passive
shock absorbers. Then OEMs began to request more complex dampers that needed tobe tested with a variety of velocities, frequencies and stroke lengths, so tests involve
standard measurements as well as currents, pressures and other inputs.
“It’s extremely important to measure everything with high resolution and good
accuracy,” Moria said. “It’s much more complex now than ever before. It’s critical tocontrol all these signals.”
M T S S OL UT IO N

To address these and other challenges, Tenneco turned to MTS. Specifically, Tenneco’s
European Ride Performance division employs high-performance MTS Roehrig EMA
Damper Test Systems at testing facilities located in Belgium, Spain, Poland and theCzech Republic.
Tenneco first implemented EMA damper systems in its mobile ride tuning trucks, which
are mobile test labs deployed at customer proving grounds. During product development,
tests on new shock absorbers can be run in the trailer based on road load data. Thenthe dampers can be tuned, placed back in the prototype vehicle, and used to acquire afresh data set. EMA damper systems are ideal for this application because they are small
and require only a power outlet for operation. They also offer more flexibility than theprevious generation of crank-style dynamometers.

be certain.

CUSTOMER CASE STUDYMTS Roehrig EMA damper test system deployed in Tenneco mobile ride tuning truck.

“Crank dynos are purely mechanicalsystems, so changing the stroke length isa mechanical job,” Moria said. “And they
only offered velocities up to 1.5 m/s. EMA
damper systems have longer stroke lengths
and velocities up to 2 or 3 m/s if necessary.
It’s very easy to make these changes, so test
efficiency is higher and we can provide
much more flexibility for our customers.”

Most recently, Tenneco has begun deploying
the EMA damper systems in its engineeringlabs. Here, R&D teams appreciate the systems’high frequency response (>100 Hz) andoperational efficiency, as well as testing
software that is specifically designed forshock absorber development.

Tenneco uses the EMA damper systems inproduction as well. Typically, the team pullsa batch of products off the line to make surethe individual components—even if their
specific geometries remain in tolerance
individually—continue to deliver theexpected damping performance after they
are assembled. In this environment, EMA
damper systems have an advantage because
they are easy to install and less expensive tooperate than larger servo hydraulic systems.

Since 2008, when Tenneco first added
EMA damper systems to its mobile ridetuning trucks, the company has steadily
expanded the footprint of these testsystems throughout the Ride Performance
division in Europe. The reasons why they
perform so well are manifold—startingwith all-electrical actuation.

lC US T OM E R B EN EFI TS

EMA damper systems feature patented
electromagnetic actuation technology,
which uses low-mass, ironless-core linear
electric motors to achieve higher velocities
at higher forces than mechanical or hydraulicsystems. And there is no need to compensate
for temperature, oil column resonance orfriction considerations.
“All-electrical actuation is a big advantage,”
Moria said. “You don’t need the power packor the cooling system. And the performanceis very good for a wide range of frequencies
and velocities, without having to tune thesystems very often. That’s why we like them.”
Another benefit for Tenneco is the fact thatelectrically actuated systems are cleaner andquieter, faster to setup, and easier to maintainand repair than other systems. Service andsupport from MTS helps round out thecomplete solution.
“At the end of last year, we set up an exchange
program for the computers connected to
five of our EMA damper systems,” Moria
said. “The software was pre-installed by
MTS and when we hooked them up, it wasplug and play. We were really pleased.”

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