Issue 3/2007

Welcome to our latest Newsletter about the Vibration & Environmental test world in addition to the latest information from m+p international.
The m+p international Newsletter is circulated exclusively to test engineers and managers involved in vibration test, data acquisition and signal analysis and hopes to bring you some useful technical snippets gleaned from around the world and from around the test and measurement industry. We always look forward to your inputs, send us your views to newsletter@mpihome.com.

If you have problems with the layout or if you can't see the correct whole newsletter, please use our online offer with the link: http://www.mpihome.com/english/nl3_2007_engl.htm.

Static and dynamic structural tests, e. g. on aircraft or rail vehicles, are a speciality of Coda. Features include measurements with single and multi-channel strain gauges, real-time strain and stress calculations, limit checking and communication with the load control system.

The Coda data acquisition software platform supports the LXI-based EX1629 remote strain gage measurement unit made by VXI Technology inc. for structural testing. Ethernet control allows for remote operation and easy connection to the host computer. The design of the 48-channel measurement unit enables the highest performance measurements possible while keeping overall test hardware costs down. For large data acquisition applications, multiple EX1629 units can be synchronized together via an external trigger bus. The built-in bridge completion is completely programmable meaning that the hardware configuration can remain unchanged if the measurement configuration changes.

The Coda software allows you to configure measurement set-ups with hundreds of channels within a very short time and to handle these high-channel count applications safely and efficiently. Key features include client/server architecture, SQL data base for parameter management, automatic frontend identification, real-time analysis of virtual channels using mathematical functions, alarm functions with user-definable alarm actions for every channel, data replay and data export into common file formats.

Coda is capable of supporting ¼, ½ and full-bridge configurations as well as rosette-type sensors.

Please download our Coda brochure for more detailed information on the functionality and applications. For example, Coda also supports the LXI-based EX1048 precision thermocouple instrument made by VXI Technology inc. to address the most demanding temperature measurement applications.

Cooper Tire operates several test tracks across the country to aid their advanced noise and vibration design and development. They also provide services to outside companies in key areas such as Pass-by-Noise. Cooper Tire recently chose m+p's unique GPS based Pass-by-Noise (PBN) solution.

This single person operated system is the only currently available PBN solution which does not require the old optical triggers and radar units. Optical triggers and radar prevent flexible setup and have many mechanical limitations. Often various size vehicles and different tests require moving the trigger point. m+p PBN solution allows this in seconds and also enable audible tones and indicators to help the operator adjust the throttle position for the on and off points - allowing quick tuning and repeatable results. The latest ISO 362 standard Reg 51 has been implemented along side the existing 1998 standard - with many software customizations to allow identification of the gear and run to aid the complex Reg 51 measurement gathering. This results in getting more testing completed and quickly gathering both the 1998 method and the latest method as is required until the new method is fully adopted. This advanced solution allowed Cooper Tire to maintain their existing large turnaround distances - while enabling immediate results processing and troubleshooting if necessary by allowing spare measurement channels in the vehicle.

Other custom features include easy calibration and storage of results to provide certification as per the new standard, gathering track surface temperature along with all weather variables at the beginning and end of runs as well as continuously during the run, and simple single button export into existing Microsoft Excel results worksheets, or to standard results printouts with provided templates.

Please download our SO Analyzer Pass-by-Noise datasheet for more detailed information.

With the VibUtil module, the m+p VibControl shaker control system offers a versatile tool for automating vibration tests. VibUtil easily combines individual vibration tests of identical or different test modes in any complexity of nested loops. It can be flexibly extended to include eight digital input channels and eight digital output channels which provide links to external equipment such as environmental chambers for combined environmental testing.

The latest version brings some useful benefits making VibUtil even more powerful and user-friendly:

• Now the tests aborts as soon as a digital channel changes its state.
• The test will pause if the output channel is switched off. This function is used, for example, to simulate a truck ride:
  8 h sine sweep, 1 h pause, 8 h sine sweep, 1 h pause, …
• The test will be interrupted and the power amplifier be shut down only if a user-defined number of components of the test specimen is defective.

VibUtil allows unattended testing, e.g. for an overnight or weekend run, with full test control anywhere via email or via SMS text message to the mobile phone.

Please download our VibUtil datasheet for detailed information on automated vibration testing.

We have found some websites that may be of interest to you or a colleague - don't keep them secret, pass them around ...

http://www.vibinst.org/vglos_a-e.htm Comprehensive glossary of vibration terminology of the Vibration Institute, Willowbrook, IL.

http://www.kettering.edu/~drussell/Demos.html For demos of vibration and acoustic effects, visit Dan Russell's webpage.

http://www.matweb.com A good data base of material properties. There are details of all material properties here from stiffness to density on thousands of materials and because it's entered by the manufacturers it has lots of specials too.

http://www.eng-tips.com Engineering tips and technical work forums for engineering professionals.

Do you want to learn more about our noise, vibration and control systems or data acquisition solutions? Then visit us at:

78th Shock & Vibration Symposium
November 4-8, 2007
Sheraton City Center
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
www.saviac.org/78th_Symposium/78th_symposium.htm
m+p booth # 28

We would be pleased to see you there.

"An open mind is all very well, but it ought not to be so open that there's no keeping anything in or out."
– Samual Butler

Well, that brings to a close this edition of the m+p international Newsletter. If there are items of info you would like to see here or if you have useful tips for the rest of the environmental test world, then please send us your pointers and we'll include them in the next edition.

Please forward this Newsletter to your colleagues if you have found it of interest, spread the word...

With regards,
m+p international Marketing

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