96-Channel System for Astrium

The Astrium Environmental Test Laboratory Uses an m+p international 96-Channel Vibration Control System

Recently m+p international installed a 96-channel vibration control system based on VXIbus measurement hardware at Astrium GmbH in Ottobrunn/Germany. The VibExec high-channel count system had its first use in a two-week test series in which an ATV (Automatic Transport Vehicle) fuel tank was tested. These development tests were made to determine the dynamic behavior and to prepare the later qualification. The tank under test is part of the Automtic Transport Vehicle which will be used for supply of the ISS (instead of a satellite).

All 96 measurement and control channels were used simultaneously which made the tests so special. While a test was running, all measured data coming from the 96 measuring points were controlled online. The test data were printed directly at the end of the test. The 96 measurement and control channels were specified as follows: 48 strain gauges, 18 pressure sensors and 30 accelerometers. An input acceleration (sweep sine wave) of up to 7.5 g was generated, the moved total weight was at ca. 2000 kg. Output limiters protected the ATV tank against an overload, i.e. its destruction. The two-week test series proved that the m+p international 96-channel vibration control system based on VXIbus hardware offers many outstanding features, among other things:

• the high online channel count,
• the extemely fast measuring data acquisition,
• the direct output of the test analysis.

(The output speed was only determined by the printing speed of the printer.) More than 8000 plots were generated during the test series!

The Astrium Environmental Test Laboratory in Ottobrunn now uses the new VibExec vibration control system as standard measurement system. Up to 128 input channels are possible with VibExec. The system based on VXIbus measurement hardware and a Windows NT^TM/2000^TM user interface meets all requirements of today's vibration control. The flexibility of its system configuration allows you to solve also the tasks of tomorrow's vibration testing. In 1990 Astrium GmbH (formerly MBB) was pilot customer for our first vibration control system, a 48-channel system using the HP-UX operating system and HP 3565S measurement hardware. We would like to thank Astrium for the long and close cooperation!