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rs/
3. Engineering, Testing, Consulting and
Inspection Services
David Common
Dynamics Testing Manager
Applied Technical Services, Inc.
Marietta, GA
dcommon@atslab.com
(678) 444-2905
May 09, 2013
Introduction to Vibration Qualification Testing
4. Agenda
• Why should we care about vibrations ?
• Where do vibrations come from ?
• What are the types of vibration and how are they
analyzed from a test lab perspective ?
• How are vibrations replicated in the lab ?
• In Practice
• Questions?
5. Why should we care about vibrations ?
Although some specific applications aim at creating
‘good’ vibrations (loudspeakers), most vibration
sources have the potential to create issues.
6. Why should we care about vibrations ?
(cont.)
Issues can be of different kinds:
• Functional (CD skip)
• Comfort (squeak, rattle)
• Structural
13. Sinusoidal Vibration - Quantification
• Typically expressed as:
• Acceleration vs. frequency
• Velocity vs. frequency
• Displacement vs. frequency
• Any combination of the above vs. frequency
14. • Random vibration
• ‘Random’ nature due to incapacity to predict
precise vibration level at any given time
• Quantified using statistical tools
• Broadband, multi-frequency content
• More closely match real-world excitations
What are the different types of vibrations?
18. Random Vibration – Quantification
• Expressed as PSD (‘Power Spectral Density’) or ASD
(‘Acceleration Spectral Density’) vs. frequency
• Dimension is g2/Hz (or (m/s2)2xs)
• PSD is the random vibration level, normalized with respect to
the bandwidth of analysis (since dealing with a broadband
excitation)
• Tabulated values will sometimes have a ‘gRMS’ value added:
• This is the overall energy introduced by the random
vibration profile (integrates PSD vs. frequency)
21. Let’s mix things up – Sine on Random
• Add discreet sinusoidal vibration tones to a broadband
random vibration background
• Typical of helicopter and propeller aircraft applications
(known blade passing frequencies on a random
background)
22. Let’s mix things up – Sine on Random
20 2000100 1000
-4
1x10
-3
1x10
-2
1x10
-1
1x10
0
1x10
Frequency (Hz)
AccelerationSpectralDensity(G²/Hz)
Acceleration Spectral Density
Ch1
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000
-10
-5
0
5
10
Time (ms)
Acceleration(G)
Acceleration Waveform
Ch1
23. Let’s mix things up – Random on Random
• Add narrowband random content onto a broadband
random background
• Typical of tracked vehicles (military)
• Narrowband content is swept across a frequency range
to reflect speed changes
24. Let’s mix things up – Random on Random
20 2000100 1000
-4
1x10
-3
1x10
-2
1x10
-1
1x10
0
1x10
Frequency (Hz)
AccelerationSpectralDensity(G²/Hz)
Acceleration Spectral Density
Demand
Ch1
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000
-20
-15
-10
-5
0
5
10
15
20
Time (ms)
Acceleration(G)
Acceleration Waveform
Ch1
25. Random vibration vs. Transients…
• Traditional random vibration averages out the actual
vibration history.
• Transients such as bumps, potholes, etc. do not translate
well into random
• Another technique is needed to replicate transients
26. • Field data replication
• Data collected in the field (acceleration vs. time)
is directly played back and repeated in the lab
What are the different types of vibrations?
28. How are vibrations replicated in the lab?
• Shakers
• Mechanical
• Electrodynamic
• Hydraulic
• Single/Multi-axis
29. How are vibrations replicated in the lab?
• Mechanical shakers (‘direct drive’)
• 1950’s
• Cheap, sinusoidal excitation
• Still used today for shipping vibration test
Courtesy of Lansmont Corporation
30. How are vibrations replicated in the lab?
• Electrodynamic shakers
• Make most of the fleet of commercial test labs
• Sequential, single-axis excitation
• Big, highly-controlled ‘loudspeakers’
• Come in various sizes and shapes (sliptable)
• Rated in lbf
• Payload and severity counterbalance each
other
32. Electrodynamic shakers – Combined
• Shakers can be
combined with thermal
chambers (‘AGREE’
chambers) for
temperature and
vibration testing
(engine-mounted
components might see
high vibration levels
and extreme
temperature range)
33. Electrodynamic shakers
• Medium to high frequency range (typically from
5Hz to 2,000Hz)
• Low available displacement (2” peak-to-peak)
35. Hydraulic shakers
• Low frequency range (typically 1Hz to 100Hz)
• High available displacement (10” or 12” peak-to-
peak)
• Often offer the highest force rating for the buck