Automotive steering components

Customised engineering example

Sometimes the dimensions of a component make force testing difficult to perform. Our client needed to test the sliding force of a bearing along the complete length of an automotive steering rack. To obtain accurate and repeatable results it needed to avoid any extraneous loads being induced over its travel. This required precise axial alignment between the bearing grip and the end of the steering rod.

Mecmesin supplied a twin-column tensile tester with sufficient space to accommodate the steering rack. To provide optimum alignment Mecmesin a custom fixture for both push and pull testing of the bearing.  The test system was controlled by Emperor data acquisition and analysis software, allowing engineers to reliably assess the smoothness of the bearing movement by measuring the frictional forces over the full distance of its travel.