Download Print Press Kit: Automotive Research and Development Centre (ARDC) Brake Development Laboratory The Brake Development lab was added to the ARDC in 2016. It consists of three main test areas in a 930 sq metre footprint It is one of three of its kind in the world Two brake end style dynameters – high speed (Viper cell) and heavy duty (Ram cell) have the ability to reproduce a wide range of brake noise The full size chassis dynamometer, Hell Cat Dyno, can accommodate vehicles ranging from a Fiat 500 to a Ram 5500 to test vehicle level brake systems The brake labs perform an average of 800,000 brake stops per year The instrumentation and Data Acquisition segment of the lab identifies sources of noise and vibration in brake systems. A number of different instruments are used to perform various tasks: 3D deflection scans during noise event Natural frequencies of individual brake components 3D pressure distribution maps Measure geometric properties and wear of brake rotors and brake pads Caliper performance in various environments Compressibility of friction material Characterizes material properties of friction material