Vibration Tests

Vibration testing is essential to determine a product's ability to withstand conditions it may encounter during its lifetime. The test simulates conditions that occur in operations and transit, spanning many industries. This test helps find potential problems before they occur.

Without the shaker test, car seats squeaked with every change in road surface. Aircraft will require major repairs after each flight. Consumer electronics will have a shorter lifespan. Vibration testing is essential for maximizing the use and life of almost any product.

Overview of Vibration Types:
There are two basic types of vibration testing. Random vibrations are vibrations that involve more than one frequency at the same time. Sine vibrations are transmitted one frequency at a time. Of these two basic types, there are a number of specific tests, including:

Random Vibration Test – A random vibration test provides all frequencies simultaneously. This is considered to simulate real-world motion and is the more realistic of the two basic types of vibration. Random vibration tests can simulate vibration from different events such as operation, transportation, and seismicity.

Products can have more than one resonant frequency. The random test applies multiple frequencies simultaneously. This process can speed up the analysis of the product, providing valuable product life information in a short time. This saves significant time and money by reducing the need for repairs, maintenance and recalls.

Sinus Vibration Test – This test scans a frequency spectrum. This determines and defines the resonance frequency of any test item. Sinus sweeps are also called sinusoidal sweeps. Sine scans can identify the frequencies that produce the greatest responses.

During product verification, a sine test can be used to keep the shaker at the product's resonant frequency. This is called the Sinus Standby Vibration Test. This will essentially tire the product and either precipitate a failure or show evidence of the product's survivability.

As a regulatory testing lab, we use sinus scans to validate our shakers and fixtures. Shakers can develop problems such as cracked fixtures and loose connections. Fixtures can also have resonant frequencies. A fixture should never have a resonance in the frequency range of the test plan.

In addition to Just Random and Sine, there are also combination vibration profiles that can be used. These are called Mixed Mode Vibration Tests.

An example of mixed mode testing is Sine in Random Vibration Test. These tests provide more information about a product's ability to survive. The test combines the underlying energy of a random vibration test with the resonance dwell times of a sine test. The sine component of these mixed-mode tests can be swept or fixed for the device under test.

A perfect example of a mixed-mode event is a helicopter. The helicopter is subject to random vibration during flight. Add to that the sound of a missile launch or gunfire and an intense sinusoidal vibration ensues. This combination of vibration events can affect the operations of the aircraft and its components.

Mixed-mode tests such as random sinusoidal are not required for all products. Specific testing requirements are often determined by a product's industry.

Industries Requiring Vibration Testing

Aviation Vibration Test
In aviation, the launch environment can be about two minutes of extreme vibration, pressure and acceleration. The load on systems and components can reach up to 20 g. Re-entry, landing and recovery can also be treacherous. Testing a product's ability to withstand these events is imperative to the success of the component and possibly the mission.

RTCA-DO-160 is one of the most common test standards used in aviation testing. The most common test standards for military aviation testing are MIL-STD 202 and MIL-STD 810. There are also several commercial aerospace test standards.

Automotive Vibration Test
Cars typically don't experience the same rough terrain as a military vehicle, but some roads are pretty bad. Road vibrations are best simulated using random vibration profiles. These profiles simulate normal road conditions, potholes, ramps, bumps and braking. Even closing a door, hood or trunk creates a vibration.

One of the challenges of automobile testing is noise. No one wants to hear a rattle in their car, so the industry has developed a squeak and rattle vibration test. This shaker test identifies low decibels while operating the vehicle and components that require adjustments to maintain our sanity. Of all the component parts in a car, seats undergo some of the most intense squeak and rattling tests.

Aviation Vibration Test
Similar to aerospace products, aerospace products must be able to survive in extremely harsh environments. The takeoff and landing of an airplane creates vibration throughout the airplane. Turbulence can also cause vibrations.

It is very important that the systems are not affected by vibrations. Unintended wing movements and other shock blows can be disastrous. Even a momentary loss of control, communication or navigation can be devastating.

Consumer Products Vibration Test
Daily events or home and office life can put vibration stress on products. For many units, vibration testing must be completed in order to obtain a product certification, such as the CE Mark.

Every consumer product is subject to vibration during shipping to your home or office. As a certified package testing lab, we can provide all package testing needed to validate products and their packaging. We are an ISTA certified testing lab and Amazon testing facility. We also provide ASTM testing.

Military Vibration Test
Vibrations can be equally harmful in the air, water and ground. As discussed earlier, the operations of these units create vibrations throughout the units. There are also mechanical vibrations common during operations. Add additional events such as gunfire, missile launch, torpedo launch, and the presence of intense sinus resonances may appear.

There are several military vibration standards, the most common being MIL-STD-810. Part One of this standard requires testing at a vibration frequency of 25 Hz and above. This standard also covers the effects of more than one event that may occur at the same time. These include temperature, humidity, and altitude along with vibration.

Choosing the right shock and vibration testing facility to work with is important. EUROLAB is a unique vibration testing laboratory due to our focus on customer experience. From quotation to report, our process is exactly what our customers need.