Révolutionner les essais acoustiques sur les satellites

Satellites undergo extensive stress tests before any space mission starts. To test their acoustic durability, satellites are often placed in a reverberant acoustic test facility (RATF), where they are subjected to extremely high sound pressure levels under real-world launch conditions. This testing procedure is complex and very cost intensive.

As an attractive alternative, m+p international and d&b audiotechnik, based in Backnang/Germany, combined their unique expertise to present their Direct Field Acoustic Control System (DF-ACS). This high-end system greatly reduces test time and costs. d&b audiotechnik is a renownded manufacturer of high-performance audio solutions; its responsibility in this partnership includes loudspeakers, amplifiers and simulation software. m+p international is considered the market leader for reverberant chamber excitation.

Proven m+p VibRunner measurement hardware is used for satellite testing as it is an ideal tool for dynamic measurements and vibration tests where precise and efficient testing is a top priority. Several m+p VibRunner mainframes are daisychained to implement higher channel counts. The measurement hardware is operated in combination with an updated version of the standard Acoustic Control System (ACS) software developed by m+p international. This software controls the complete test procedure and logs all steps of the process. In most cases, the test period during which the satellite is subjected to the 146 dB sound pressure field is only one minute.

The satellite test scenario developed by m+p international and d&b does not require any specially prepared environment or test stand. Considering certain specifications, a multitude of different rooms will instead suffice to ensure significant results that are accepted by experts. Satellites no longer need to be shipped hundreds of miles, and there are no costs and risks involved with such transport.

m+p international’s team leader and senior development engineer, Raf Mangelschots, explains: “Our system is available, consistent and provides reliable results faster, better and more cost efficiently than other solutions.”