The Lateral Aquaplane plugin for VBOX Test Suite gives you the ability to measure the lateral aquaplane performance of a given tyre, based on speed and attained lateral acceleration, and to compare the performance of different tread patterns.
The Lateral Aquaplane has a unique Test Setup ribbon, from which you can configure the test.
Click on the Configure button to open the Settings window where you can define the parameters of the test.
Click on the Report button to create a report from the current test results.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Click on the Rename button to edit the currently selected gate line.
Click on the Delete button to delete the currently selected gate line.
Click on the Delete All button to delete all set gates for the session.
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.
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.
If the gates are not preassigned, you can designate one for each test stage in the plugin.
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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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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Click on the Select All button to select every run in the Test Results area with one click.
Run - Deselect All
Click on the Deselect All button to deselect every run in the Test Results area with one click.
Click on the Deselect All button to deselect every run in the Test Results area with one click.
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Click on the Edit Data button to open the Session Data window and add various vehicle and test information, such as:
Vehicle
- Vehicle Model
- Vehicle Number
- Driver Name
Wheels/Tyres
- Front/Rear
- Wheel
- Dimensions
- Tyres
- Make
- Dimensions
- Model
- Pressure (psi)
- Wheel
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.
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Click on Help to automatically open an Internet browser and load the relevant section of the User Guide on the Racelogic Support Centre.
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.
Start Offset (m)
By default, the test will start when the vehicle crosses the Start of Bath line.
This setting gives you the ability to offset the start by a specified amount from the Start of Bath line.
Test ends at:
This setting gives you the ability to specify whether the test will end on the crossing of the End of Bath line or after a specified distance.
Lateral Acceleration Source
By default, the lateral aquaplane plugin will use the lateral acceleration value generated from an IMU Y_Accel channel (if available), as this signal is usually less noisy than the lateral acceleration generated from GPS.
If you enable IMU integration on a VBOX, the GPS acceleration will be smoother than the IMU signal, and so we recommend that you select the Lat_Acc as the source.
If connected, the dropdown menu will also contain the CAN source that you can use as the lateral acceleration source.
Smooth Lateral Acceleration
You can select this option to apply a smoothing level to the lateral acceleration channel.
Smooth Level
You can set the amount of smoothing that will be applied to the lateral acceleration channel.
Start Offset (m)
By default, the test will start when the vehicle crosses the Start of Bath line.
This setting gives you the ability to offset the start by a specified amount from the Start of Bath line.
Test ends at:
This setting gives you the ability to specify whether the test will end on the crossing of the End of Bath line or after a specified distance.
Lateral Acceleration Source
By default, the lateral aquaplane plugin will use the lateral acceleration value generated from an IMU Y_Accel channel (if available), as this signal is usually less noisy than the lateral acceleration generated from GPS.
If you enable IMU integration on a VBOX, the GPS acceleration will be smoother than the IMU signal, and so we recommend that you select the Lat_Acc as the source.
If connected, the dropdown menu will also contain the CAN source that you can use as the lateral acceleration source.
Smooth Lateral Acceleration
You can select this option to apply a smoothing level to the lateral acceleration channel.
Smooth Level
You can set the amount of smoothing that will be applied to the lateral acceleration channel.
- 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.
- 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
The Test Results area has the following default columns:
There is also a selection box that, when ticked, includes that 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. |
If this variance is outside the designated limit, this column will be highlighted red.
The software will automatically add columns based on any specified pass criteria.