A drop tower has been installed at Millbrook to subject automotive batteries to abuse tests
Millbrook has added to its comprehensive battery test facility with the introduction of a 10m drop tower. The new facility assists suppliers in ensuring that their products are safe and operable after being dropped from heights. The drop tower helps in understanding how a vehicle battery is affected in different impact scenarios. For instance, it can simulate a battery falling from a forklift truck or from racking in a storage facility.
The new installation also supports impact and penetration tests, using an impactor located beneath the drop test item. The tower’s guidance system allows the test item to be dropped onto an impact medium, such as aluminium honeycomb, to offer a tuned deceleration pulse.
Millbrook’s engineers instrument the test item and drop tower to offer data and insight throughout testing. Among the myriad data points that can be obtained are temperature, acceleration and impact velocity. Engineers can also monitor and log live CAN data from the test item.