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RACELOGIC Support Centre

Tyre Test - Longitudinal Aquaplane

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This page contains an overview of the Test Setup in the Longitudinal Aquaplane Plugin.

The Longitudinal Aquaplane plugin for VBOX Test Suite gives you the ability to measure when aquaplaning starts to occur and the percentage of wheel slip during aquaplaning. This allows the user to compare the performance of different tyre tread patterns.

Ribbon - Test Setup

The Longitudinal Aquaplane has a unique Test Setup ribbon, from which you can configure the test.

VBTS_LongitudinalAquaplane_TestSetup.svg

Test Section

VBTS_LongitudinalAquaplane_TestSetup_Test.svg

Configure

Click on the Configure button to open the Settings window where you can define the parameters of the test.

Report

Click on the Report button to create a report from the current test results.

Maths Channel

Click on the Maths Channels button to open the Maths Channels window to configure unique maths channels. You can find more information about maths channels in the Test Setup section.

Save Settings

Click on the Save Settings button to save the current test setup and add it to the Saved Settings area in the Add Test window.

The test will also be added to the list under the Tyre Test button on the Home tab for easy access.

Export

Click on the Export button to display a dropdown menu with the export options. You can export the selected results or line results to a .csv or a .txt file. 

Gate Section 

VBTS_LongitudinalAquaplane_TestSetup_Gate.svg

Start of Test

Click on the Start of Test button to set the starting point for the test in the chart and map at the current location of the cursor.

The Start of Test gate will be indicated by a green line.

Start of Bath

Click on the Start of Bath button to set the starting point of the water bath in the chart and map at the current location of the cursor.

The Start of Bath gate will be indicated by a blue line.

End of Bath

Click on the End of Bath button to set the end point of the water bath in the chart and map at the current location of the cursor.

The Start of Bath gate will be indicated by a red line.

Gate Name

When you have added a gate, the name of the currently selected gate will be displayed in the name box. Click on the arrow in the box to see a dropdown list of all the added gates. The gates will be named according to the type of gate (if applicable) and the order it was added.  

Note: You cannot have multiple gates with the same name.   
Width

When you have added a gate, you can specify the gate width. The default gate width is 20 m.

Type the required width in the Width (m) value box. 

Note: If you change the gate width, the last used gate width will be used as the default width for the next gate. 
Rename

Click on the Rename button to edit the currently selected gate line.

Delete

Click on the Delete button to delete the currently selected gate line. 

Delete All

Click on the Delete All button to delete all set gates for the session. 

Export

Click on the Export button to export the created gate(s) as an .spl file. This file can be reused at a later date and with another VBOX product.

Import

Click on the Import button to import a previously saved or provided .spl file. When the file is imported, the gates will be added in the order that they were saved in the .spl file.

Note:  If the gates are named accordingly (Start of Test, Start of Bath, End of Bath) then the software will instantly recognise and use the gates in the plugin.
               If the gates are not preassigned, you can designate one for each test stage in the plugin. 
Data Column Section 

VBTS_TestSetup_DataColumnSection.svg

Add

The Add button adds a column to the Test Results area. Click this button to open a dropdown menu where you can select a channel to display in the test results window.

Channel 

When you select a column header in the Test Results area, the channel name will be displayed in the Channel box (the top box in the Data Column section). Some columns will have required channels and cannot be changed, but if you can change the channel, the Channel box will become a drop-down list with the available channels.    

Data column_SelectedColumn_DefaultChannel.svg

Data column_SelectedColumn_EditChannel.svg
Result Condition

When you select a column header in the Test Results area, and it is a changeable channel, the Condition dropdown menu becomes available. The conditions will depend on the test and selected channel.

Examples are:

  • Avg
  • Max
  • Min
  • Delta 
  • At Start
  • At End
Sort Ascending

The Sort Ascending button will sort the values in the currently selected column in the Test Results area in alphabetical order from A to Z.

Sort Descending

The Sort Descending button will sort the values in the currently selected column in the Test Results area in alphabetical order from Z to A.

Run Section 

VBTS_TestSetup_RunSection.svg

Select All

Click on the Select All button to select every run in the Test Results area with one click.

Deselect All

Click on the Deselect All button to deselect every run in the Test Results area with one click.

Session Section
Edit Data 

VBTS_TestSetup_SessionSection.svg

Click on the Edit Data button to open the Session Data window and add various vehicle and test information, such as:

VBTS_LateralAquaplane_SessionData.svg 

Vehicle

  • Vehicle Model
  • Vehicle Number
  • Driver Name

Wheels/Tyres

  • Front/Rear
    • Wheel
      • Dimensions
    • Tyres
      • Make
      • Dimensions
      • Model
      • Pressure (psi)

Test

  • Test Date
  • Test Track
  • Test Facility
  • Comments

Conditions

  • Weather
  • Temperature (ºC)
  • Track Temperature (ºC)
  • Humidity (%) 
  • Wind Speed (km/h)

When in Offline mode, the Session Data will be saved into the VBOX file.  This information will be recalled every time the file is loaded into VBOX Test Suite.

When in Online mode, a newly created session will be populated with session data from the previous session.

To save time, you can import and export the session data for other sessions. When you have completed the Session Data, you can export the data to a .vbses file by clicking on the Export button in the Session Data window. The exported file will contain all the session data and can be imported into another session via the Import button in the Session Data window.

Help Section 
Help

VBTS_TestSetup_HelpSection.svg

Click on Help to automatically open an Internet browser and load the relevant section of the User Guide on the Racelogic Support Centre.

Note: This page will only be displayed if there is a valid internet connection. If there is no valid internet connection, a cached version of the relevant section (from the last software update) will be presented in PDF form.

Test Settings

If you are creating a new test, the Settings window will open when you add the new test. This is where you can define the test parameters.

If you have already added a test and you have it open, you can click on the Configure button to open the Settings window to define or amend the test parameters.

VBTS_LongitudinalAquaplane_Settings.svg

End Condition

The test will end when a specified threshold level of Wheel Slip has been detected and thus is judged to have aquaplaned, or when the vehicle crosses the end line. 
 

Slip Threshold (%)

Enter the required slip threshold value. You can enter a negative value for rear wheel drive cars.

Use the arrow buttons next to the value box to increase/decrease the value or type it directly into the box. 
 

All Includes Wheels / Any Included Wheel

You can specify if All Wheels or Any Wheel must reach the set condition to satisfy the aquaplane condition.

 VBTS_LongitudinalAquaplane_Settings_EndCondition.svg
Wheel Speeds
Channel

Select the channel you want to assign to the wheels that are relevant for your test.
 

Include

Tick the wheel(s) you want to include in the test.  

 VBTS_LongitudinalAquaplane_Settings_WheelSpeeds.svg
Pre-Test Entry Conditions

You can set pre-test entry conditions to make sure that the vehicle enters the water bath in a steady state. The pre-test entry period starts from when the vehicle crosses the Start of Test line and ends on the crossing of the Start of Bath line. You can define a tolerance limit that a specific channel must not exceed during this period. If you exceed this limit, the test will be classed as a fail by highlighting that run in red in the Results.

You can another condition by clicking the + button.

You can delete a condition by clicking the X button.
 

Channel

Select the channel you want to use for the condition. Click on the dropdown list to see the available channels. 
 

Tolerance

Set the tolerance value for the selected channel in the condition. Use the arrow buttons next to the value box to increase/decrease the value or type it directly into the box. 

 VBTS_LateralAquaplane_Settings_Pre-TestEntryConditions.svg
Pass Condition(s)

You can set conditions to easily identify if certain parameters have exceeded a set threshold. Any runs that do will be highlighted red to mark it as Failed. 
 

Channel

Click on the dropdown menu to see a list of the available channels and select the one required for the condition.
 

Min Value

Set the minimum threshold value for the selected channel. Use the arrow buttons next to the value box to increase/decrease the value or type it directly into the box. 
 

Max Value

Set the maximum threshold value for the selected channel. Use the arrow buttons next to the value box to increase/decrease the value or type it directly into the box. 
 

At

You can set the pass conditions so that the run fails whenever the threshold is exceeded, either at the start of the test, at the end of the test, anytime during the test or averaged during the test.

 VBTS_LateralAquaplane_Settings_PassConditions.svg
Interim Result(s)
Display In
  • Select Columns to display each interim result as a column on the right-hand side of the results table. 
  • Select Separate Table to display each interim result as a row in a separate table next to the results table.
 VBTS_LateralAquaplane_Settings_InterimResults.svg
Conditions

You can display intermediary results that are determined by any added Interim Conditions.

Click the + button to add a new interim result condition.

Every: The Interim Result will be displayed Every time Test Suite records the set value (e.g. every 10 km/h), 

At: The Interim Result will be displayed At an instance of a value (e.g. only at 10 km/h).

Between: The Interim Result will be displayed when between values (e.g. between 30 km/h and 50 km/h). 

Select the source of the Interim Result and set the required value. 

You can delete a condition by clicking on the X button to the right of the relevant condition.

  
Report Analysis
Start Speed

This area specifies the start speed that will be part of the boundaries for an ‘area under the curve’ calculation in the final report.

Use the arrow buttons next to the value box to increase/decrease the value or type it directly into the box. 
 

End Speed

This area specifies the end speed that will be part of the boundaries for an ‘area under the curve’ calculation in the final report.

Use the arrow buttons next to the value box to increase/decrease the value or type it directly into the box. 

 VBTS_LateralAquaplane_Settings_ReportAnalysis.svg

 Test Results Area

The Test Results area is the area that displays all of the results from the current test. In this area, you can include/exclude results from the Chart area, display the average/max/min values and also easily identify any runs that have not met the pass criteria.

Every time you start a new test (via the START button on the dashboard), or load a new file, a new tab will be added to the Test Results area. This gives you the ability to switch between separate tests or files and compare runs from each. You can remove a session from the Test Results area by clicking on the X icon on the session tab.

Note: Whenever you make any changes to the test configuration, maths channels, vehicle dimensions, test units or session data, Test Suite will perform a file scan to apply the changes to the loaded files and update the Test Results, Map and Chart areas.  If you, for any reason, want to cancel this results scan, you can click the red X in the top right corner of the workspace. This will keep the updated settings but will not update the Test Results, Map and Chart areas accordingly.  
Rename File

You can rename a session tab by double-clicking the tab header. Changing the name on the session tab in the software will automatically change the name of the locally saved VBOX file (.vbo or .vbb).

Edit Session Data

By pressing the Edit Data button next to the name of the session in the Test Results area or on the Test Setup tab on the ribbon, you can add vehicle and test information to the session.

  • When in Offline mode, this information will be saved into the VBOX file, meaning that this information will be recalled every time the file is loaded into VBOX Test Suite.
  • When in Online mode, a newly created session will be populated with session data from the previous session.

This information will be included in the test report to make it easier to see under what conditions the test was conducted.

To save time, you can import and export the session information for use in other sessions (the entire range of data is exported, not just the visible screen).

Once the session information has been completed, you can export the data to a .vbses file. This file will contain all the session information that can then be imported into the open session information field.

Result Columns

VBTS_LongitudinalAquaplane_Results.svg

The Test Results area has the following default columns:

Run Indicates which run number the results relate to, with run one being the first run completed.

There is also a selection box that, when ticked, includes the run in the graph and into the Average/Max/Min/Standard Deviation calculations. Once selected, a coloured square will appear to indicate which colour this run is displayed as on the graph.
 
Note: If you are loading a file in Offline mode, all valid runs will automatically be ticked.
Entry Speed (km/h) The speed at which the test started.
Speed At Aquaplane (km/h) The speed at the point when the threshold slip level was reached. If the slip threshold is not reached, this value will be the speed at the End of the Bath line.
Distance At Aquaplane (m) The distance at the point when the threshold slip level was reached. If the slip threshold is not reached, this value will be the Distance at the End of the Bath line.
Aquaplane A Yes/No indicator as to whether the aquaplane conditions were met or not.
Slip Max (%) The Slip Max percentage for the wheels included in the test (one column each).

The software will automatically add columns based on any specified pass criteria.

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