BWR Motorsports GmbH has developed a technology which enables race engineers to conduct Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA) of tyres at the track. The portable tyre testing unit, named Motite, is claimed to be the first-ever product developed to enable DMA tyre testing on track, enabling race teams across series such as Formula One and WEC to measure tyre grip levels and to rank the tyres, without leaving the track.
The system’s software can create an immediate output of grip level, with measurement and analysis carried out directly on the tyre. Motite covers sinusoidal strain applied on the tread and computation of shear modulus and loss coefficient. It also measures tread temperature, wheel weight and tyre diameter, to give teams a full analysis of a tyre. The unit features a rotary motor measure head torque sensor, linear drive to apply preload, and load cells to measure wheel weight. It also has a touchscreen display for ease of use.
Erich Baumgärtner, founder of BWR Motorsports GmbH, and previously a race engineer, said: “With tyres playing such an essential role in motorsport, efficient and quick analysis is very important as production and storage cause substantial tolerances within a batch of yires. However, previous technology available was difficult to use on the racetrack as it requires stationary conditions and a material sample, which needs to be cut out of the tyre. The portability and ease of use of the Motite technology enables racing teams to measure all sets of tyres after allocation in under an hour, allowing them to easily rank the tyres available.”
