Swedes are known to be progressive, smart and innovative people and the cars they make reflect this. Saab is no longer producing new cars, but it has left a lasting mark on the global automotive landscape with its quirky but safe cars, and Sweden’s remaining automaker Volvo also carries the proverbial torch with a similar reputation.
However, Smart Sweden didn’t just put its energy into making cars. In fact, Saab began life as an aviation company and airplane manufacturer after World War I, and ventured into the car business only after the conclusion of World War II. In the late 1970s, the National Swedish Traffic Research Institute and the National Aeronautical Research Institute of Sweden partnered Scandinavian Airport and Road System (SARSYS) and Saab Automobiles to create a new intersection of Swedish automotive and aeronautical excellence with a safety innovation called the Runway Surface-Friction Tester. In Saab’s absence, SARSYS has focused on installing its friction testing equipment in Volvo wagons and other vehicles.
These rigs are designed to test the friction levels between a simulated airplane’s tires and the runway with the goal of reducing the risk of aircraft hydroplaning during takeoff and landing, the most dangerous parts of flight. We’ve also seen some of these exclusive Swedes come up for auction in the past, if for some reason you want one of your own.
Abrasion testers use a simple measurement system
Even dry runways can create friction problems for planes, as airplane landing gears go from stationary to speeds of more than 100 mph when they contact the ground during landing. Of course, adding rain or standing water to the equation reduces friction even more.
Runway friction testers, whether Saab or Volvo, are equipped with a retractable undercarriage called a skidometer, a water tank, a computer measurement system and an onboard printer. To measure the level of friction, the driver deploys the assist wheel while driving on the runway, and a computer system continuously reads the level of friction between the wheel and the runway. Water tanks can dispense a constant-rate spray in front of the wheel and measure friction levels in adverse weather conditions.
Since Saab is no longer producing new vehicles, SARSYS abrasion testers take many different forms, from small towable trailers to large tanker semi-trucks, but Volvos are also converted to serve this noble purpose.
