Train door closing pinch force tester

Requirement

South West Trains required a system to measure the closing force (pinch) of their external flush fitting train doors.

Solution

A cantilever assembly was fitted to the rear of a 500 N Advanced Force Gauge. This enabled a direct compressive reading to be applied to the loadcell when the tips of the cantilever were placed in between the closing doors.

The pass/fail alarm feature on the gauge provided an immediate analysis of the result. The cantilever arrangement enabled the doors to be measured at a distance similar to the width of a human hand.

The operators hands were also well away from the test area, which would have proved difficult with a conventional loadcell solution.

This type of solution could be adapted for many similar applications by extending or reducing the length and profile of the cantilever beam.

Test equipment

• 500 N AFG Advanced Digital Force Gauge (or any appropriate Mecmesin gauge)
• Cantilever Fixture