The test rig was designed in order to target and repetitious adjust a multiplicity of possible influencing factors for wear. Potential influencing factors might be: coercive rotation, coercive oscillation and still standing of the tappet; oil conditioning (temperature and lubrication condition in contact point); separation of cam base circle and cam tip; different eccentricity between cam lobe and tappet; static and dynamic application of different contact load. For a reduction of effects from other contact points, the test rig consists only one cam lobe-tappet-contact as well as the two corresponding cam lobe bearings.

For determination and separation of wear effects from cam tip and cam base circle, some tests have been accomplished with cam shaft composed of only a cam base circle at a static load of 100N. The thereby used cam shaft dummy has the same geometry and surface characteristics like a in real engine used cam shaft.

With this test rig, a wear pattern could be generated, which corresponds to the base circle wear in fired engine.