Performance Evaluation of a Brake Fluid Tester for Testing the Suitability of Natural Oils as Brake Fluids

The abundant natural resources in African countries continue to receive attention with the advocacy for clean environments (SDG 7) and technological innovations (SDG 9). Many seed oils extracted have innumerable potentials, but few of these have been explored. Dynamometers are used to test engine and brake performances with different fuels or brake types. This work presents a brake dynamometer developed with a full brake system for testing seed oils for automotive power applications. A 750hp electric motor was used as the prime mover, coupled to the full brake system with a flexible jaw-type coupling to maximise power transfer. The mechanical properties of the fluid in terms of speed, torque, and fluid pressure were measured with a tachometer, strain gauges and a pressure sensor with jatropha oil and DOT 3 synthetic oil. The trend of the results showed that the brake tester was properly calibrated, and the results are repeatable and consistent. Hence, the device can be used for fluid power testing irrespective of the type of oil. Keywords: brake dynamometer, seed oils, jatropha oil, brake oil