Environmental testing is necessary at different design stages: from early prototyping to design optimization up to the final verification (qualification and acceptance testing). The goals of mechanical testing can be investigating on the dynamic behavior of the component, looking for overstressed points, simulating degradation during the whole component lifetime or finding defects in manufactured components and devices.
Vibration tests performed on shakers can be defined based on international standards (e.g., IEC 60068, ISO 16750, MIL-STD-810H) or specific manufacturer requirements (e.g., CS.00056, VW 80000, GS97073), as well as from bench or in-vehicle measurements. The main types of tests include sine, random, sine on random, shock, and sine dwell.
According to the experiment goal, the best vibration test is picked up: sine, random or shock. For each run, test parameters such as amplitude, testing time and frequency range are selected. Each test can be performed on one or more axes; furthermore a thermal cycle can be added in order to reproduce real operating environment. When necessary, e.g. in the case of an electric/electronical device, connections can be monitored and device signals acquired during tests.
A proper test profile selection is crucial; it is possible to use profiles defined by international standards (e.g. MIL-STD-810H), ad hoc profiles defined by means of preliminary measurements, numerical simulation or by customers’ internal standards.
Most used tests are:
- Sine testing, single or multi-tone
- Random
- Shock
- Track and dwell
- Single axis waveform replication
- Modal analysis
The aforementioned tests can be performed with temperature/humidity control.
For ensuring maximum test significance, test conditions must be as close as possible to the real ones. Therefore, test parameters must be carefully selected, and the test fixture must be properly designed to replicate the real mounting conditions of the component while ensuring the necessary dynamic response without interfering with the test. For this purpose, we offer a full service, including fixture design and Finite Element verification, as well as the possibility of manufacturing the interface directly in-house.