A Division of Holt CAT, Holt Manufacturing provides customers with a wide variety of customized Caterpillar equipment ranging from engine and generator packaging, diesel fuel base tanks and enclosures to oil field equipment, water trucks and tanks, specialty vehicles, and more. Manufacturing and Engineering Services is based in company’s recently acquired Waco, TX facility (a former Caterpillar manufacturing plant). Here Holt provides its growing list of customers with customized equipment designed and manufactured to their exact specifications and requirements.
Background
Caterpillar’s Larne, Northern Ireland Electric Power Division developed a series of base frames for the C13-C18 GC range of gensets. For the North America market, it was necessary to perform an ISO 8528-9 vibration test supplemented by additional vibration and strain measurements for this 60 Hz version.
Normally for this product line, Larne engineers would travel to Holt Manufacturing’s Corpus Christi, Texas facility to validate the system. Because of the global COVID-19 pandemic, however, travel was suspended indefinitely.
Solution
Caterpillar subsequently asked 6D to conduct the validation testing. However, during conversations with Holt Manufacturing, it became apparent that Holt was well positioned to execute an assisted test approach.
Although they maintain a staff of engineers and skilled service technicians familiar with typical vibration measurements, Holt had no hands-on experience with the scope of testing required to validate the genset. The decision was made to augment the company’s resources with remote support from 6D.
Test Plan
Based on requirements provided by the Larne engineering team, a test plan was developed. The validation test would involve using a 32-channel data acquisition system to measure 48 acceleration and 15 strain measurements in multiple data sets. The plan also defined the details of equipment set up, mounting the sensors, and how 6D and Holt would remotely collaborate.
Remote Assisted Testing
The test equipment package supplied by 6D included the data acquisition system, a ruggedized PC, WiFi modem, antenna, and power supply. Holt technicians were guided by 6D through equipment set up/usage and preparing the genset for data collection (strain gauging placement and application, orienting accelerometers, etc.). The project would include a total of four unique test setups with the measurement system operated by 6D over the internet.
Results
Holt technicians were successful in collecting the data needed to help determine the validity of the genset design changes. During testing, the data was accessed by 6D for analysis and results provided to Caterpillar’s Larne engineers.
“Collecting good quality test data is the key to any validation project,” explained 6D Vice President and Senior Technical Consultant, Garth Wiley. “There’s a learned art to determining sensor locations and applying strain gauges. For even those with years of experience it can be tricky. Without work performed by the skilled technicians at Holt, this project would have been considerably more difficult.”
“With decades of hands-on Caterpillar equipment experience, 6D is uniquely qualified to support new design validation, field troubleshooting, and next generation product planning,” said Richard Bradley, Holt Manufacturing Project Engineer. “Assisted remote testing saved us time and expenses associated with on-site validation. Perhaps most importantly, this experience has helped to advance our internal testing and data collection capabilities allowing us to be even more responsive to customers and support future projects in-house.”