PLC and Computer Based Brake Unit Testing Device for Heavy Vehicles

Abstract

The Since the discovery of vehicle technologies, brake systems have been one of the indispensable parts of these technologies. Air brake systems were invented in 1869 to shorten the braking distance of train locomotives. These systems allow the vehicles to slow down, maintain their stopped state and maintain the movement in a controlled manner by preserving their kinetic energy. Various test methods have been developed to test the produced brake system parts. Some of these tests are tightness test, life test, breakout test, valve test and load sensitivity tests. Heavy vehicles use air pressure to create braking force, and this is achieved with the help of air compressors. The air obtained is stored in an air tank and when the brake is not used, if the tank is full, the compressor is turned off. It is desirable that there is no air leakage in a healthy braking system. Leakage and life tests are carried out to ensure that the produced brake system parts do not leak air. In this study, Delta DVP SE model PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) and Visual Studio GUI application in C# language were used to control the air brake lower and upper central test device. The GUI application is run on the computer, and it communicates with the PLC using the Modbus TCP communication protocol. All the manual indicators on the tester have been transferred to a GUI application and all the values obtained can be displayed in a real-time graphic on the application. Obtained values and real-time graphics are presented to the user with a report. The results of the tests can be compared thanks to the GUI application.