Vibration and Climate Testing of Automotive Components

Online, September 2, 2013 (Newswire.com) - In 2012, as part of their ambition to connect with industries also based in South Carolina, CU-ICAR built a Component Testing Laboratory to perform durability and validation testing for BMW and their suppliers, as well as other vehicle manufacturers.

By pairing the needs of automotive companies with the research of their students and faculties, CU-ICAR is assisting mutually beneficial development.

This laboratory is focused on supporting local manufacturers by testing and developing automotive components - and systems. Opened in September 2012, the laboratory lets CU-ICAR offer testing services for interior components to tier-one automotive suppliers - complementing their established full-vehicle testing and systems-integration research. The facility aims to add value to automotive companies in South Carolina, to help those companies become more competitive.

The laboratory is divided into two test chambers: the solar chamber and the vibration chamber, where the LDS shaker is situated, along with an environmental testing facility.

Carlos A. Montes, Lead Engineer for Research and Testing said: "A typical test for interior components for BMW simulates the lifecycle, so the component or system is also tested under climatic conditions."

At the system's heart is an LDS V875 longstroke shaker with a slip table. The environmental chamber fits over the slip table - or the vertical vibration table - during temperature and humidity testing. It is designed to test in two axes - vertical and horizontal - and to be very quick to transition between the two possibilities. The shaker can also be easily moved by means of a specially designed air glide system.

As a result of special customisation, the shaker can take a maximum load of 3,000 pounds (1360.78 kg). Test control is with an LDS Laser Controller using white noise, sine, swept-sine or road-load data as test data input.

The full Clemson University case study is available to read here: http://www.bksv.com/doc/bn1291.pdf

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About Bruel & Kjaer

Bruel & Kjaer is a world-leading manufacturer and supplier of sound and vibration measurement systems.

Bruel & Kjaer helps its customers measure and manage the quality of sound and vibration in their products and in the environment. Focus areas are aerospace, space, defence, automotive, ground transportation, airport environment, urban environment, telecom and audio.

Bruel & Kjaer has an unparalleled portfolio of sound and vibration equipment and is a long-established designer and manufacturer of innovative instrumentation including sound level meters, microphones, accelerometers, conditioning amplifiers, calibrators, noise and vibration analyzers, and PULSE software.

In addition, Bruel & Kjaer designs and manufactures the LDS range of vibration test systems, as well as complete airport and environmental monitoring systems: WebTrak, ANOMS, NoiseOffice and Noise Sentinel. To see the full range of solutions, systems and products, please visit www.bksv.com

Bruel & Kjaer also runs a variety of training courses, from basic introductions to noise and its effects to more specialised classes teaching customers how to get the most out of their equipment. Free, online training courses - conducted by our expert engineers - run throughout the year too. For all course registration details visit http://www.bksv.com/courses

Bruel & Kjaer is a subsidiary of UK-based Spectris plc (www.spectris.com) which has annual sales of £1.1bn and employs around 7,500 people worldwide across its four business segments.

For additional information please contact:
Heather Wilkins
Marketing Coordinator
Bruel & Kjaer
Telephone: 01223 389 800
Web: www.bksv.com
Email: [email protected]