m+p international Newsletter
Issue 4
 

Welcome to the m+p international Newsletter, the periodic technical review presented by m+p international - the test and measurement system specialists.

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@mpide.de.

   

In this Issue:

1. VibControl ... A Clearer View
2. Advanced Sine, Random and Shock Data Reduction with SmartOffice
3. Integration of NVH Testing: a Case Study on a Spatial Structure
4. m+p international Provides Data Processing Services at Volkswagen's Transparent Factory
5. ACON Vehicle Canister Preconditioning: New Enhancements
6. Dates for Your Diary
7. Interesting Websites
8. Thought for the Day

 

1. VibControl ... A Clearer View

We talk to many people in this industry on a daily basis, some highly experienced in vibration testing, some new to it and some who are coasting along. However, when we discuss the pros and cons of what is available it is very quickly clear that perceptions about m+p international and our products are often mistaken. So to help understand why we are one of the market leaders, here are a few basics that are key to your testing success with m+p international:

  • Our VibControl software uses TRUE multi-tasking NT functionality (not legacy DOS, 95/98, UNIX etc) so is the most robust in operation (ie it just doesn't crash!) - ask people who rely on m+p international to test $50m satellites.
     
  • Our VibControl products are available from 2 channels (at affordable 2ch prices !) to hundreds of channels and you get the same rugged software across the range.
     
  • Our VibControl products have a frequency range of 12800 Hz as standard in Sine and Random control, the highest available and even though you may not often use this you get the benefits in performance across the lower ranges.
     
  • Our VibControl products have a resolution of 3200 lines in Random control as standard, again the highest available and important to control those difficult fixtures. Note as with frequency we are talking CONTROL here not just analysis only.
     
  • Our VibControl products come complete with a calibration program and verification procedure as standard. Our overall accuracies and more importantly stability are the best available. It's no good just having a clever software cal. when you can't rely on it being the same 5 minutes (hours, days, weeks, months ...) later! Who else provides you with a recommended 2 year cal. cycle?
     
  • Our VibControl products report directly with Word and they copy and paste both meta-graphics and data and they can report direct to the printer (without requiring the complexity of Word) using your template, all as standard.
     
  • Our unique software architecture avoids complex menu structures producing systems that technicians and engineers alike are eager to use rather than being hesitant to try! Bug-free operation gives you confidence in the system when tackling the most difficult of tests.
     
  • Our unique test database structure puts all your test setup and run data into a single file for ease of sorting and reporting on the biggest and smallest of projects. Archive run data is simple to identify with Windows Explorer and provides a full test audit trail including your test log.
     
  • Our VibControl products have a full range of control modules available, everything from simple ESS random to mixed mode gunfire and unlimited time roadload replication. Drop table capture, Acoustic control, data reduction with and without throughput mean m+p international can tackle the widest range of requirements.
     
  • m+p international was founded in 1980, so we are one of the longest running suppliers of Vibration control products in the market.
     

For your own demonstration and evaluation of any of our systems please contact your local m+p international sales office: sales@mpina.com (America) or mpi@mpide.de (Europe and Asia).

 

2. Advanced Sine, Random and Shock Data Reduction with SmartOffice

The SmartOffice Analyzer is m+p international’s complete Noise & Vibration solution for modal, MIMO, impact testing, rotating machinery/order tracking, acoustics and digital throughput of time data to disk. Benefits of this powerful native Windows application include handling a wide variety of standard Noise & Vibration data file formats (e.g. UFF, SDF, MTS, RPC, OROS, …), 2D and 3D graphics, animation, ActiveX Viewers, wizard-driven acquisition, analysis and reporting. Fully integrated with Microsoft Office, ActiveX documents provide unique and unmatched capabilities.

For user flexibility, the decision regarding acquisition hardware was kept open to allow interfaces with National Instruments, VXI Technology, OROS, TEAC, and others.

The new Advanced Data Reduction wizard will re-analyze measured throughput time data coming from random and sine tests as well as transient events. Data can be acquired by the SmartOffice Analyzer itself, by a third-party system from which the raw time domain data can be imported into SmartOffice for data reduction and analysis or by closed-loop shock and crash testing with m+p international’s VibControl. Read more...

 

3. Integration of NVH Testing: a Case Study on a Spatial Structure

The Centre Spatial de Liège, Belgium, performs low-temperature vibration tests for spatial structures. The specially designed vibration test adapter links the moving part of the shaker (i.e. slip table or head expander), being in ambient conditions, to the specimen inside the vacuum chamber in a cold environment. This paper describes in detail the correlations between the results coming from analytical simulation and experimental modal analysis.

 

4. m+p international Provides Data Processing Services at Volkswagens's Transparent Factory

For many years we have already been a successful supplier of environmental test and process monitoring solutions for Volkswagen, for example the VibControl systems, our airbag electronic test system or KIS, the process data interface for central monitoring of emission data and energy balancing which is in use at Volkswagen’s Power Plant in Germany.

With the Transparent Factory in Dresden, Volkswagen has certainly established one of the most modern and fascinating auto plants in the world. Cars are built there in a manner never seen before. We are glad to be part of it. In a 2-shift operation, m+p international is in charge of over a dozen of servers, several hundreds of clients and a large number of peripheral devices such as printer, scanner and PDA. Our services include system administration, first- and second-level support for hardware and software used for office communication, system backup, support of numerous data base systems, access control systems, measurement and analysis systems as well as application interfaces, and much more.

Look at Volkswagen's Transparent Factory and make an interactive 360° tour through the production.

 

5. ACON Vehicle Canister Preconditioning: New Enhancements

Our ACON system for automated vehicle canister preconditioning is used by the automotive industry, test facilities and the manufacturers of carbon canisters. The vehicle canisters will be automatically preconditioned, i.e. purged and loaded, to prepare them for the subsequent HC emission measurements (SHED tests) according to CARB/EPA.

The latest version of ACON offers you some powerful enhancements. The ACON components are now mounted on boards which are fixed on telescopic rails and can be pulled out to the front of the rack, enabling a very easy access to the components.

Other new features include fuel loading (which is now part of the EU regulations for canister ageing) according to VW and GM method, breakthrough determination using a Mini-SHED, high loading rates of up to 60 l/min, multi-channel temperature measurement, measurement of the flow resistance, canister leakage test and breakthrough determination by means of a mass flow meter (instead of a scale).

 

6. Dates for Your Diary

m+p international will show its latest products at the following exhibitions:

USA

  • National Instruments Week 2003
    August 12-15, Austin, Texas
    www.ni.com
  • Aerospace Testing Seminar
    October 21-23, Manhattan Beach, CA
    www.aero.org/conferences/ats
  • 74th Shock & Vibration Symposium
    October 27-29, San Diego, CA
  • Testing Expo North America 2003
    October 29-31, Novi Expo Center, Detroit, Michigan
    www.testing-expo.com

Germany

We would be pleased to see you there.

 

7. Interesting Websites

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

http://analyst.gsfc.nasa.gov/FEMCI/random/index.html and
http://analyst.gsfc.nasa.gov/ryan/MOLA/random.html#top These pages have some great practical
information on Random vibration testing from the basic equations to creating test profiles. They are from work done at the Goddard Space Flight Centre by Ryan Simmons.
http://www.eevl.ac.uk Edinburgh University virtual online guide to engineering, mathematics and computing - extensive
http://www.mpide.de The m+p international website contains many useful information on our products and solutions for
Download our VibSlideRule, the multi-function vibration calculator from m+p international, or read the interesting articles describing vibration and acoustic control applications.

 

8. Thought for the Day

'We experience moments absolutely free from worry. These brief respites are called panic.'
-Cullen Hightower-

 

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...

We look forward to hearing from you all.

With regards,
m+p international Marketing 

m+p international listens to customers...

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