Shock and Vibration Test For Product Qualification

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We help clients to establish a logical vibration and shock test system, run the tests and assist in any resulting redesign activities. Our closed loop acceleration feedback control can simulate almost any shock or vibration environment that your product may encounter. This includes, but goes well beyond, industry and military shock and vibration testing methods established by IEC, SAE, MIL-STD, ISO, ASTM, RTCA and the Department of Defense (DOD).

Shock and Vibration Testing

Mechanical Shock and Vibration

Your products may be required to meet rigorous military, electronic, industrial, or medical device standards for shock and vibration resistance prior to acceptance. Rexnord can provide testing for product-specific test protocols over a wide range of amplitudes, frequencies, and spectrums.

RIC utilizes well-proven closed loop acceleration feedback control to simulate or recreate almost any shock or vibration environment that your product may encounter. This includes but goes well beyond industry and military vibration and shock testing methods established by the International Electrotechnical Commission, Society of Automotive Engineers, United States Military Standards (MIL-STD), and the Department of Defense. Standard shock and vibration testing methods are:

Sine Frequency Sweep with constant displacement or acceleration (IEC 68-2-6, MIL-STD-810 SAE J1211)
Random with frequency weighted power spectral density (IEC 68-2-34, MIL-STD-810)
Shock with half-sine, haversine, triangular or saw-tooth pulses (IEC 68-2-27, MIL-STD-202)
Shock Response Spectrum (SRS) with frequency weighted spectral density
More sophisticated shock testing and vibration testing methods that may be customized for your particular product
are:
- Playback of recorded acceleration using replication of data collected in the field.>
- Sine on Random to simulate vibration generated by rotating machinery with multiple vibration tones (orders)
Tools that may be used to solve your vibration problems are:
- Field vibration measurement and analysis
- Mode identification using resonance search, transmissibility and stroboscopy
- Modal analysis

Many products, however, are not covered by existing standards and you may require help determining the best test practices to cost effectively provide the product reliability your customers demand. Rexnord can help you to establish a logical shock and vibration test protocol, run the tests and help in any resulting redesign activities.

If your test requires operational testing during vibration, Rexnord has expertise in engineering monitoring systems to record operational functions such as electrical signals, continuity, pressures, and temperatures. These signals can be fed back into the system to record failures or stop the test.

Vibration Testing on an Industrial Inverter

Resonance searches are performed to identify potential metal fatigue points. With proper redesign, the resonance frequencies can be shifted to areas that the part will not be exposed to in normal operation.

Below is a photograph of automotive locks being vibrated in a fore and aft direction. The shaker is a 6000 lb. Ling electrodynamic shaker controlled by a Vibration Research Corporation (VRC) controller.

Vibration Testing Automotive Locks

RTS can run vibration tests to Military standards such as 810F, IEC Standards, SAE , ASTM and internally developed standards. If necessary, RTS can provide a vibration profile for any equipment, by mounting accelerometers and recording data.

Vibration, Shock and Bump Testing

Vibration tests can also be performed while the test part is subjected to temperature and humidity extremes. An environmental chamber that mates with a shaker table is used for this type of testing.

Shock and Vibration Testing Services

Environmental conditions and test procedures for airborne equipment
Temperature cycles combined with sinusoidal or random vibration
Vibration (vertical sinusoidal motion) test of products
Random vibration testing of shipping containers
Vibration test at fixed low frequency
Vibration test using sinusoidal variable frequency
Vibration testing of shipping containers
Standard testing
Military standard, mechanical vibrations of shipboard equipment
Shock with half-sine, haversine, triangular, or saw-tooth pulses
Environmental testing: Part II, methods, vibration, broad-band random
Shock Response Spectrum (SRS) with frequency weighted spectral density
Sine frequency sweep with constant displacement or acceleration
Combined random vibration wide band: reducibility medium, dry heat or cold
Combined sinusoidal vibration, dry heat or cold
Random with frequency weighted power spectral density

Shock and Vibration Testing Equipment

ELECTRO-DYNAMIC SHAKER - Acceleration up to 120g’s (1175m/s2), Stroke range up to 3-1/2” (90mm), Frequency range from 1 - 4000 Hz
SERVO-HYDRAULIC SYSTEMS - 1000 lb - 150,000 lbf, vertical actuators, 36” x 36” oil film slip table
CONTROL/ANALYSIS SYSTEMS - Digital sine servo-control (2 - 2000 Hz capacity), LabVIEW data acquisition system, shock & vibration software (Vibration Research Control), multi-channel FFT spectrum analyzer, random & programmable controller (2 - 10,000 Hz capacity)

Engineers know well the potential for mechanical vibration to compromise performance or cause failure. However, the details of vibratory environments are often not well understood, making it difficult to determine how to best simulate real world vibration in the laboratory. Various industry vibration test standards may help, however, including the following for which Rexnord Innovation Center (RIC) is accredited by the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA) to perform:

STANDARD	TEST
MIL-STD 810, METHOD 514	Sinusoidal Vibration
MIL-STD 810, METHOD 516	Shock
IEC 68-2-6	Sinusoidal Vibration
IEC 68-2-64	Random Vibration
IEC 68-2-27	Shock

The experience and ingenuity of our vibration experts at RIC is instrumental in application of standards, effective fixturing methods and interpreting test results. We have capabilities that range from measuring vibration during actual use and analyzing designs for vibratory durability to recommending a test plan, performing vibration or shock tests, and recommending design changes.

Vibration testing at frequencies greater than 100 hertz requires the use of an electrodynamic shaker. Vibration testing of heavy samples at low frequencies may require use of a servo-hydraulic actuation.

Electrodynamic Shakers

100-7200 pounds of force
5-4000 hertz
Up to 3.5" of peak to peak displacement
36"x36" oil film slip table

Environmental Testing Options

Up to 300,000 pounds of force
Up to 6" of peak to peak displacement

Servo-Hydraulic Systems

-100 degrees F to 650 degrees F
5% to 95% relative humidity50 to 106 kPa (altitude)

CASE STUDY

CASE STUDY: Field Measurement and Vibration Testing of Electronic Equipment

An aggregate processing machinery manufacturer wanted to know whether an electrical cabinet would be able to withstand the vibrational loads sustained in the field. RIC engineers traveled to the customer’s site and collected vibration data on the machine. They were then able to replicate in the lab what was experienced during operation. Next, Rexnord accurately predicted component failures, allowing for redesign before deployment of the equipment into the field.

The RIC has eight electrodynamic shakers, ranging in capacity from 100 pounds force to 7,200 pounds force. Random, wind milling, drop and shock tests are typical. We can also perform “at altitude” tests in the environmental chamber while the shaker is running, saving customers money as the equipment stays in its same location.

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