| Testing,
research equipment puts CU-ICAR graduate program in a class by itself
Major automotive testing and research equipment, valued at nearly
$10 million, for the automotive engineering graduate program in
Clemson University’s International Center for Automotive Research
(CU-ICAR) gives students and faculty access to a unique world-class
laboratory. Several companies that are worldwide leaders in their
respective specialties made in-kind gifts totaling $2.3 million
to make the equipment purchase possible.
The equipment includes an MTS seven-post shaker unit with a Weiss
climate chamber, an FEV engine dynamometer, a RENK Test Systems
chassis dynamometer and a state-of-the-art coordinate measuring
machine from Carl Zeiss IMT Corporation and J&H Machine Tool.
Tom Kurfess, the BMW Chair in Manufacturing at Clemson and director
of the Carroll A. Campbell Graduate Engineering Center, which will
house the automotive engineering program when the building is complete
next year, said these tools make a testing and diagnostic platform
like no other.
“I don’t know of another university in the country –
maybe in the world – that has this combination of equipment
under one roof,” he said. “Clemson students and faculty
are fortunate indeed. We are very excited.”
The equipment manufacturers are the newest supporters of the automotive
industry to join the CU-ICAR team that includes BMW, Michelin, Timken
and SAE.
MTS Systems Corporation, headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minn.,
has more than four decades of ground vehicle testing expertise,
providing full-vehicle, system and component-level testing solutions
for a broad spectrum of vehicle development applications. Additional
information on the company is available at www.mts.com.
Germany-based Weiss is a major
producer of standard testing chambers and systems for environmental
simulation worldwide. The product range comprises temperature
and climate testing systems as well as test systems for simulated
exposure to weather, temperature shock, and corrosion.
FEV is an independent engine
and powertrain systems research, design and development company
with facilities worldwide. FEV’s Test Systems group, from
Auburn Hills, Mich., specializes in the design and fabrication
of engine test facilities and equipment. The group will provide
an advanced, engine test cell for use in gasoline and diesel engine
research and development.
RENK Test Systems, with headquarters
in Augsburg, Germany, along with their U.S. operation, RENK LABECO
Test Systems Corporation in Mooresville, Ind., design and build
turnkey test systems for research/development, production and
quality assurance. Their activities focus on automotive, railway
and aerospace industries.
Headquartered in Oberkochen, Germany, Carl
Zeiss Industrial Measuring Technology (IMT) is a member of
the Carl Zeiss Group. It is the global leader in CNC coordinate
measuring machines and complete, multi-dimensional metrology solutions
for a wide variety of industrial sectors. Carl Zeiss is a globally-leading
international group of companies in the optical and opto-electronic
industries. The company offers a spectrum of leading-edge solutions
and products for semiconductor and optoelectronic technology,
life sciences and health care, eye care and industrial applications.
J&H Machine Tool Specialty,
Inc., based in Charlotte, N.C., is a machine tool distributor
providing the manufacturing community with high-quality machine
tools for metal removal and precision inspection.
CU-ICAR equipment consultant George Trask, who coordinated the
purchase, praised the companies for their generosity and for what
their involvement means to CU-ICAR.
“These names are recognized throughout the automotive industry
for their quality and commitment to excellence,” he said.
“Their combined support of CU-ICAR will be of great benefit
to our students, and it also serves as a message to other potential
partners that this program has the support of industry leaders.”
Unique funding support
Just as the equipment is unique, so is the funding process that
made it possible. South Carolina legislation provides state funds
to match private dollars for higher education research infrastructure.
In this case, the equipment manufacturers donated a portion of the
cost, which Clemson was able to utilize as matching funds.
“This innovative legislation – the South Carolina Research
Infrastructure Bond Act – leverages and enhances private support
for higher education,” Kurfess said. “Through the generosity
of the manufacturers and the vision of the South Carolina legislation,
we are able to provide our research teams with about $9.6 million
worth of equipment for approximately $5 million. That is true investment
in education.
“We have been very gratified by the response of the automotive
industry to CU-ICAR. We anticipate that the story of this outstanding
public-private partnership that focuses on both education and economic
development, will attract other companies to investigate the CU-ICAR
concept. They will be most welcome,” Kurfess added.
Similar legislation, the South Carolina Research Centers of Economic
Excellence endowed chairs program, also provides state education
lottery funds to match private funding to attract top-flight faculty.
The CU-ICAR graduate program has four such chairs, including Kurfess.
The Campbell Graduate Engineering Center is the focal point for
academic research and technology transfer in support of the automotive
industry and offers M.S. and Ph.D. programs in automotive engineering
with emphasis in systems integration. Facilities for full-scale
vehicle and component testing are integral to the program.
 
Ten million dollars of major automotive testing and research equipment
will give CU-ICAR students access to a unique world-class testing
and diagnostic platform like no other in the world.
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