AVL has launched a motorsport-specific brake torque sensor that the company says brings previously unavailable levels of insight into brake system performance.
The piezoelectric sensor is mounted between the brake caliper and the upright and is able to measure braking torque with a resolution of 0.2Nm.
The piezoelectric operating principle means that the sensor generates an electrical charge in response to applied mechanical stress. According to AVL, due to the high stiffness and low height its sensor can accurately measure highly dynamic signals with minimal influence on the test setup, at a sample rate of up to 50kHz.
The sensor has a number of uses in racing applications. For example, it could be used to measure brake drag over a race distance, which contributes to parasitic losses, or alternatively, monitor the consistency of braking performance.
The company also suggests the sensors be used to detect irregularities in disc geometry, which would show up as oscillations in the brake force signal, or for analysis of the transfer between braking effort between mechanical and electrical systems in hybrid applications.
