Patent ID: 8671535

Claim:
A shaft loading device for a test stand, comprising: a shaft receptacle configured to receive a shaft to be loaded for testing; and a rotational bearing device having a sliding bearing support supporting said shaft receptacle and a plurality of actuators acting directly on said sliding bearing support, each said plural actuators being actuatable to act directly on the sliding bearing support to selectively apply a defined bearing force to the shaft receptacle; wherein said shaft receptacle is configured to circumferentially enclose the shaft when the shaft is received therein so that the shaft and the shaft receptacle are in driving connection; wherein said rotational bearing device has an annular sliding bearing structure in a driving connection with said shaft receptacle and encloses said shaft receptacle circumferentially, said sliding bearing structure having a plurality of sliding bearing surfaces, wherein each of said actuators has a working member in a driving connection with a respective sliding bearing element, said each of said actuators being actuatable to bring said sliding bearing element into sliding contact with one of said sliding bearing surfaces of said sliding bearing structure by said associated working member such that said shaft receptacle is rotatably supported for rotation about an axis of rotation, and wherein each of said actuators also comprises a base supporting said each of said actuators, said actuators being individually selectively controllable such that said sliding bearing structure and said shaft receptacle can be selectively loaded by said defined bearing forces by said working members.