VIBRATION TEST

Vibration Test Types.

The following presents discussions of general types of vibration tests.
1. Development test.
Development testing is used to determine characteristics of materiel, to uncover design and
construction deficiencies, and to evaluate corrective actions. Begin as early as practical in the
development, and continue as the design matures. The ultimate purpose is to assure developed
materiel is compatible with the environmental life cycle, and that formal testing does not result in
failure. The tests have a variety of specific objectives. Therefore, allow considerable freedom in
selecting test vibration levels, excitation, frequency ranges, and durations. Typical programs might
include modal analysis to verify analytical mode shapes and frequencies, and sine dwell, swept sine,
transient, or random excitation transient vibration to evaluate function, fatigue life, or wear life. The
test types, levels, and frequencies are selected to accomplish specific test objectives. Levels may be
lower than life cycle environments to avoid damage to a prototype, higher to verify structural
integrity, or raised in steps to evaluate performance variations and fragility.
2. Qualification test
Qualification testing is conducted to determine compliance of a materiel with specific environmental
requirements. Such tests are commonly a contractual requirement and will include specific test
specifications. Qualification tests should be conducted using an excitation that has the same basic
characteristics as the anticipated service environment. For most items, this consists of a functional
test and an endurance test (sometimes combined). The functional test represents the worst case
vibration (or envelope of worst case conditions) of the environmental life cycle. The endurance test
is a fatigue test representing an entire life cycle. Often, vibration can be combined with other
environmental stresses.
3. Functional test
Functional testing is conducted to verify that the materiel functions as required while exposed to
worst case operational vibration. Fully verify function at the beginning, middle and end of each test
segment. Monitor basic function at all times during each test run. Functional test levels are normally
maximum service levels. When separate functional and endurance tests are required, split the
functional test duration, with one half accomplished before the endurance test, and one half after
the endurance test (in each axis). The duration of each half should be sufficient to fully verify
materiel function. This arrangement has proven to be a good way of adequately verifying that
materiel survives endurance testing in all respects. In some cases, materiel that must survive severe
worst case environments may not be required to function or function at specification levels during
worst case conditions. Typically "operating" and "non-operating" envelopes are established. Tailor
functional tests to accommodate non-operating portions by modifying required functional
monitoring requirements as appropriate.

4. Endurance test
Endurance testing is conducted to reveal time-dependent failures. In many cases the test is
accelerated in order to produce the same damage as the entire duration of the required service life.
Generally, it is not required to have an item powered-up during the endurance phase of test. Refer
to paragraph [Link] for functional testing. Use the simplified fatigue relationship in paragraph 2.2
below to scale the less severe vibration levels to the maximum service levels that occur during the
service life. This, in turn, will define the test time at maximum service levels (functional levels) that is
equivalent to a vibration lifetime (levels vary throughout each mission). Use the equivalent time as
the functional test duration, thereby combining functional and endurance tests. There may be cases
when this test duration is too long to be compatible with program restraints. In these cases, use as
long of a test duration as is practical and use the fatigue relationship to define the test level. While
this approach does not completely eliminate nonlinearity questions, it does limit levels to more
realistic maximums. Generally, the test item will not be in a powered-up state during the endurance
(“non-operating”) phase of testing; particularly in a situation in which the test levels have been
exaggerated beyond maximum measured values in order to significantly compress the test duration.
5. Durability test
Durability testing is a real-time (non-exaggerated) simulation of the environmental life cycle to a
high degree of accuracy. A durability analysis precedes the test and is used to determine which
environmental factors (vibration, temperature, altitude, humidity, etc.) must be included in the test
to achieve realistic results. Although the test is intended to be a real time simulation of the life cycle,
it may be shortened by truncation if feasible. Truncation is the elimination of time segments that are
shown by the durability analysis to be benign with regard to materiel function and life. Durability
analyses should use fatigue and fracture data applicable to each material, rather than the simplified
expressions of paragraph 2.2 below.
a. Worst case levels. Mission portions of the environmental life cycle are represented in the
durability test by mission profiles. Mission profiles are statistical definitions of environmental stress
and materiel duty cycle versus time. Mission profiles often do not include worst case environmental
stresses because they are encountered too rarely to be significant statistically. However, it is
important to verify that materiel will survive and function as needed during extreme conditions.
Therefore, insert maximum environmental levels into the durability test, in a realistic manner. For
example, in the case of a fighter airplane, the maximum levels would be inserted during an
appropriate combat mission segment rather than a more benign segment such as cruise.
b. Success criteria. Pass/fail criteria for durability tests are established for the particular effort.
Criteria could include no failures, a maximum number of failures, a maximum amount of
maintenance to fix failures, or some combination of these.
6. Reliability test
Reliability testing is accomplished to obtain statistical definitions of materiel failure rates. These
tests may be development tests or qualification tests. The accuracy of the resulting data is improved
by improving realism of the environmental simulation. Test requirements are developed by
engineers responsible for materiel reliability. Specific definitions for reliability test as discussed in
paragraph 6.1, reference aa are provided below.
a. Statistical Reliability test.
A statistical reliability test is a test performed on a large sample of production items for a long
duration to establish or verify an assigned reliability objective for the equipment operating in its
anticipated service environment, where the reliability objective is usually stated in terms of a mean-
time-to-failure (MTTF), or if all failures are assumed to be statistically independent, a mean-time-
between-failures (MTBF) or failure rate (the reciprocal of MTBF). To provide an accurate indication
of reliability, such tests must simulate the equipment shock and vibration environments with great
accuracy. In some cases, rather than applying stationary vibration at the measured or predicted
maximum levels of the environment, even the non-stationary characteristics of the vibration are
reproduced, often in combination with shocks and other environments anticipated during the
service life (see Annex A of Method 516.6). The determination of reliability is accomplished by
evaluating the times to individual failures, if any, by conventional statistical techniques.
b. Reliability Growth test.
A reliability growth test is a test performed on one or a few prototype items at extreme test levels to
quickly cause failures and, thus, identify weaknesses in materiel design. In many cases, the test level
is increased in a stepwise manner to clearly identify the magnitude of the load needed to cause a
specific type of failure. Design changes are then made and the failure rate of the materiel is
monitored by either statistical reliability tests in the laboratory or valuations of failure data from
service experience to verify that the design changes produced an improvement in reliability. Unlike
statistical reliability tests, reliability growth tests do not simulate the magnitudes of the service
environments, although some effort is often made to simulate the general characteristics of the
environments; for example, random vibration would be used to test materiel exposed to a random
vibration service environment.
7. Worthiness test.
When unqualified materiel is to be evaluated in the field, verification that the materiel will function
satisfactorily is normally required for safety and/or test efficiency reasons. This is accomplished by
environmental worthiness test. The worthiness test is identical to a qualification test except that it
covers only the life cycle of the field evaluation. Levels are usually typical operating levels unless
safety is involved; then maximum operating levels are necessary. Durations are either equivalent to
a complete system/subsystem test, long enough to check materiel function, or an arbitrary short
time (5 or 10 minutes). For safety driven worthiness test, the test item is considered to be consumed
by the test (the test item may not be used in the field). An identical item of hardware is used in the
field evaluation. When safety is not an issue, an item may be subjected to a minimum time
functional test and then used in the field evaluation. When it is required to evaluate the cumulative
environmental effects of vibration and environments such as temperature, altitude, humidity,
leakage, or EMI/EMC, a single test item should be exposed to all environmental conditions. For air
worthiness testing, a three step approach may be required. For example, this could include
conducting and initial laboratory vibration test, followed by experimental flight testing to acquire the
actual exposure levels, and ending with a qualification test based on the measured field data.
8. Environmental Stress Screening (ESS).
ESS is not an environmental simulation test representative of a life cycle event and is not a substitute
for a qualification test. It is a production or maintenance acceptance inspection technique designed
to quickly induce failures due to latent defects that would otherwise occur later during service.
However, it is an environmental life cycle event and should be included as preconditioning or as part
of the test as appropriate. Materiel may be subject to multiple ESS cycles, and maintenance ESS
vibration exposures may differ from production acceptance exposures. ESS should be included in
development tests only as appropriate to the test goals. The vibration environment is sometimes
applied using relatively inexpensive, mechanically or pneumatically driven vibration testing machines
(often referred to as impact or repetitive shock machines) that allow little or no control over the
spectrum of the excitation. Hence, the screening test environment generally does not represent an
accurate simulation of the service environment for the materiel.
9. Test Time Compression and the Fatigue Relationship.
The major cause of items failing to perform their intended function is material fatigue and wear
accumulated over a time period as a result of vibration-induced stress. It is preferable for materiel to
be tested in real-time so the effects of in-service conditions are simulated most effectively. However,
in most instances real-time testing cannot be justified based on cost and/or schedule constraints
and, therefore, it is customary to compress the service life environment into an equivalent
laboratory test. For vibration environments that vary in severity during the materiel’s service life, the
duration of the environment can often be reduced for testing by scaling the less severe segments of
the vibration environment to the maximum levels of the environment by use of an acceptable
algorithm. In many cases, scaling less severe segments to the maximum levels may still yield a test
duration that is still too long to be practical. In such cases, the same algorithm may be used to
further reduce test duration by increasing test amplitude. Provided that fatigue is a significant
potential failure criterion for the materiel under test, this practice is acceptable within strict limits,
notably that test amplitudes are not over exaggerated (or accelerated) simply to achieve short test
durations. Such excessive amplitudes may lead to wholly unrepresentative failures, and cause
suppliers to design materiel to withstand arbitrary tests rather than the in-service conditions.
Vibration Testing-

Vibration testing is usually performed by applying a vibratory excitation to a test object and
monitoring
the structural integrity of the object and its performance of its intended function. The technique may
be useful in several stages:
1. design development,
2. production
3. utilization of a product.

 In the initial design stage, the design weaknesses and possible improvements can be
determined through the vibration testing of a preliminary design prototype or a partial
product.
 In the production stage, the quality of the workmanship of the final product can be
evaluated using both destructive and non-destructive vibrating testing.
 A third application termed product qualification, is intended for determining the adequacy
of a product of good quality for a specific application (e.g., the seismic qualification of a
nuclear power plant) or a range of applications.

Vibration Testing – By Shaker

Vibration testing is usually accomplished using a shaker apparatus, as shown by the schematic
diagram

 The test object is secured to the shaker table in a manner representative of its installation
during actual use (service).
 In-service operating conditions are simulated while the shaker table is actuated by applying
a suitable input signal.
 The shakers of different types, with electromagnetic, electromechanical, or hydraulic
actuators, are available.
 The shaker device may depend on the test requirement, availability, and cost.
 More than one signal may be required to simulate three-dimensional characteristics of the
vibration environment.
 The test input signal is either stored on an analog magnetic tape or generated in real-time by
a signal generator.
  The capability of the test object or a similar unit to withstand a “predefined” vibration
environment is evaluated by monitoring the dynamic response (accelerations, velocities,
displacements, strains, etc.) and functional operability variables (e.g., temperatures,
pressures, flow rates, voltages, currents). Analysis of the response signals will aid in
detecting existing defects or impending failures in various components of the test
equipment.
 The signals that are monitored from the test object include test response signals and
operability signals.
 The former category of signals provides the dynamic response of the test object, and may
include velocities, accelerations, and strains.
 The latter category of signals are used to check whether the test object performs in-service
functions (i.e., it operates properly) during the test excitation, and may include flow rates,
temperatures, pressures, currents, voltages, and displacements.
 The signals may be recorded in a computer or a digital oscilloscope for subsequent analysis.
 The test input should have (1) amplitude, (2) phasing, (3) frequency content, and (4)
damping characteristics comparable to the expected vibration environment if satisfactory
representation is to be achieved.
 A frequency-domain representation of the test inputs and responses can, in general, provide
better insight regarding their characteristics than can a time domain representation, namely,
a time history.
 Fortunately, frequency-domain information can be derived from time domain data by using
Fourier transform techniques.

In vibration testing, Fourier analysis is used in three principal ways:

I. first, to determine the frequency response of the test object in pre-screening tests;
II. second, to represent the vibration environment by its Fourier spectrum or its power spectral
density (PSD) so that a test input signal can be generated to represent it;
III. and third, to monitor the Fourier spectrum of the response at key locations in the test object
and at control locations of the test table and use the information diagnostically or in
controlling the exciter.

Vibration Test Environment –

When performing a vibration test, however, either a deterministic or a random excitation can be
employed to meet the test requirements. This is known as the test environment.
Based on the vibration-testing specifications or product qualification requirements, the test
environment should be developed to have the required characteristics of
(1) intensity (amplitude),
(2) frequency content (effect on the test-object resonances and the like),
(3) decay rate (damping), and
(4) phasing (dynamic interactions).
Usually, these parameters are chosen to represent conservatively the worst possible vibration
environment that is reasonably expected during the design life of the test object.
So long as this requirement is satisfied, it is not necessary for the test environment to be identical to
the operating vibration environment.
In vibration testing, the excitation input (test environment) can be represented in several ways. The
common representations are,
(1) by time signal,
(2) by response spectrum,
(3) by Fourier spectrum, and
(4) by PSD function.
Once the required environment is specified by one of these forms, the test should be conducted
either by directly employing them to drive the exciter or by using a more conservative excitation
when the required environment cannot be exactly reproduced.

Test Signals-
1. Deterministic Signal Representation
a. Single-Frequency Signals
b. Sine Sweep
c. Sine Dwell
d. Decaying Sine
e. Sine Beat
f. Sine Beat with pauses
g. Multifrequency Signals
h. Actual Excitation Records
i. Simulated Excitation Signals
2. Stochastic Signal Representation
a. Ergodic Random Signals
b. Stationary Random Signals
c. Independent and Uncorrelated Signals
d. Transmission of Random Excitations
3. Frequency-Domain Representations
a. Fourier Spectrum Method
b. Power Spectral Density Method
4. Response Spectrum

PRETEST PROCEDURES:
Some important pretest procedures include the following:
1. Understanding the purpose of the test
2. Studying the service functions of the test object
3. Acquiring information on the test object
4. Planning the test program
5. Conducting pretest inspection of the test object
6. Resonance-searching to gather dynamic information about the test object
7. Mechanically aging the test object

1. Purpose of Testing –
Depending on the outcome of a vibration test, design modifications or corrective actions can be
recommended for a preliminary design or a partial product.