The ability to do post-test analysis of the data measured during a vibration test can be critical to avoid damaging the test specimen through fatigue
Critical environmental vibration tests can often only be run once to avoid unwanted fatigue life reduction.
This means that the ability to do post-test analysis of the data measured during the test is even more important - and what better way of doing this than actually recording the raw signals from the test rig.
In the past tape recorders were used but this is inconvenient and expensive in terms of both equipment and operational manpower so are not often employed so adding test risk.
M+P International has solved these problems in its latest generation of vibration controller systems that can now collect both the original time data and processed data during the same closed loop control test run.
M+P's vibration control systems such as the VCP-PC, VibPilot, VibRunner and VibExec now support time domain recording while running any vibration or acoustic control mode.
Also known as digital through-put, this original gap-free time history data can be very valuable for both post-test analysis and historical archiving in a wide variety of applications.
To ensure the highest integrity of through-put data the simple addition of a PCI plug-in card, and M+P's SmartOffice throughput wizard, means that up to eight, 16, 24, 32 channels and beyond can be recorded to disk.
Sample rates of up to 102.4 kHz on each channel can be used without compromising the vibration test control.
This architecture also provides pre- and post-test data should a unit-under-test failure occur during the test run.
Post-test sine, random and shock data can be analysed locally or if the control system is tied up, on a remote PC using, among others, data-reduction methods that mimic the vibration test.
If something fails you'll never miss having the exact snapshot of data.
