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DANVILLE, VA - The Virginia Institute for Performance Engineering and Research, or VIPER, has entered into contract with FCS COM, Inc. for the purchase of a seven-post rig. A seven-post rig is a sophisticated platform that can accurately simulate the stresses and strains of the road or a racing track on vehicles, but in a controlled, laboratory environment. Using funds granted by the Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission, the seven-post rig will be the centerpiece of VIPER's vehicle testing infrastructure.
VIPER is a multi-faceted research, commercial testing, and
educational program stemming from Virginia Tech's Center for Vehicle
Systems and Safety and the Institute for Advanced Learning and
Research. In addition to Virginia Tech and IALR, other VIPER partners
include Virginia International Raceway, Halifax County, and Old
Dominion University. Funded through a combination of private, state,
and federal sources, VIPER is designed to be a vehicle test facility
available to racing teams and the automotive industry as well as
researchers and students. VIPER has facilities at VIR and in the IALR
complex.
"VIPER is extremely excited about its partnership with
FCS COM," said Dr. Mehdi Ahmadian, professor of mechanical engineering
at Virginia Tech and director of VIPER. "The new seven-post rig is the
cornerstone of VIPER's test equipment. This FCS COM seven-post rig is
unmatched in the world and will make the new facility at Virginia
International Raceway an important destination for members of the
automotive and motorsports industry."
Construction of the VIPER
facility at VIR, including installation of the seven-post rig, is
scheduled for completion in late-summer 2005.
Through its
partnership with Virginia Tech, the Institute for Advanced Learning and
Research has established four funded research centers in Southside
Virginia. Building on regional assets such as motorsports, agriculture,
robotics, and polymer processing, IALR research centers are the
catalyst for regional economic change.
FCS Control Systems has
been developing and marketing advanced electro-mechanical and hydraulic
control system solutions for over 25 years. Major customers include
BMW, Boeing, DaimlerChrylsler, Lockheed Martin, Ford, Airbus, and
General Motors. Acquired by FCS in 2003, FCS COM specializes in the
design and delivery of test control products and testing solutions used
in product development and production by the automotive, aerospace,
appliance, agriculture, military, recreational and off-road vehicle
markets throughout North America.
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