Acoustic Control

Aerospace hardware (i.e., space crafts) require high intensity acoustic level testing, which is usually accomplished inside a RATF (reverberant acoustic test facility). The acoustic noise level inside the RATF at NASA Plum Brook test station can reach 163 dB, which is the highest level among all RATFs around the world.

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Video Capture for Test Monitoring

Video Capture is a new EDM Extension that works with IP cameras for vibration test monitoring and data acquisition. This feature provides real-time video monitoring and video or photo recording of the test process or any object of interest along with data acquisition. The Video Capture feature is available in EDM VCS (vibration control system) and EDM DSA (dynamic signal analysis) software for the Spider platform. Dome or box type IP cameras using the ONVIF protocol are supported by the video capture feature.

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Modal Data Acquisition Using CoCo Testing Plan on CoCo-80X/90X

The Modal Data Acquisition (MDA) function for the CoCo-80X/90 allows users to conveniently acquire modal data in the field. The CoCo Testing Plan provides an overview of the measurement process and also provides the ability to customize the measurement entries.

This article describes a step-by-step process of the CoCo MDA function along with the CoCo Testing Plan feature. A brief overview of transferring the data from the CoCo to EDM Modal in order to post-process the data is also presented.

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Oregon State University Purchased High Channel Count Spider-80SGi System for Geotechnical Projects

Oregon State University in Corvallis, OR recently purchased a 64-channel Spider-80SGi data acquisition system. Dr. Armin W. Stuedlein, professor of geotechnical engineering said the Spider DAQ will be used for studies on in-situ liquefaction and cyclic softening studies, performance of ground improvements, and testing of full-scale foundations.

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Modal Space - In Our Own Little World

Why can’t I run a modal test with one big shaker and just “crank up the signal”?
That isn’t a good idea - Let’s discuss this.

OK – so we need to talk about a few things here. Many times people who get involved in modal testing sometimes come from the “vibration qualification world” and have a completely different mentality compared to the “modal world”.

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Modal Analysis of Disc Brake Rotor using EDM Modal

Executing the modal analysis of a structure is crucial in order to analyze the modal parameters of a test object. The natural frequencies, damping and mode shapes of the unit under test provides help to adjust the mechanical properties of a structure by optimizing the design and improving the structural behavior of the test unit. Consequently, modal analysis is a critical part of product development.

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Spider-80Ti Temperature Measurement Video

Watch the new Spider-80Ti video produced by Aakash Umesh Mange, Application Engineer at Crystal Instruments. Narration is provided by Walter Kemphaus, Application Engineer at Crystal Instruments.

The Spider-80Ti is a front-end from the Spider-80Xi hardware platform that enables temperature measurement. Spider-80Ti supports temperature measurements from Thermocouples and RTD (Resistance Temperature Detector) sensors.

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Daily Acoustic Test and Measurement for 7,000 Laptop Fans with Spider System

A manufacturer of laptop fans was suffering from the results of slow production testing. The testing capacity was limited by testing products with manually operating instruments in a quiet room. Crystal Instruments provided the easy-to-use Spider hardware and EDM software package as a solution to significantly improve their production testing.

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Sine Sweep in High Frequency Range

A typical vibration test often requires running the test up to 2000 Hz or beyond. This is a tremendous challenge because the resonant and anti-resonant frequencies are often only a few hundred Hz. This article analyzes the obstacles to running a sine test over a high frequency range, including the dynamic characteristics of the Unit Under Test (UUT) and fixtures, the control dynamic range of the vibration controllers, and the sensor mounting locations. Several strategies and recommendations are then discussed with results.

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