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Ground Vibration Testing

Ground vibration testing - introduction

The aerospace industry is continuously under pressure to develop lighter components, systems, aircrafts and spacecrafts in shorter timeframes and at lower cost - without compromising quality, safety and the mission itself.

This presents two primary challenges. On one hand, engineering teams still need to ensure the structural integrity of the aircraft or spacecraft and its critical components. On the other hand, they must reduce testing time while increasing data quality and accuracy.

To shorten development times while still assuring design critical issues like structural integrity and safety, aircraft development teams are faced with several Ground Vibration Testing challenges:

Ensure identification of all critical modes and assess their non-linear behavior
Manage challenging logistical requirements linked to boundary conditions, structure configurations, the typical usage of high number of sensors with multiple shakers and multi-shift testing teams
Reduce test campaign duration to match development schedule and costs
Deliver accurate, validated and traceable reference data in support of the flutter certification process

LMS Ground vibration testing solution - recognized by specialists around the world

The dedicated LMS Ground Vibration Testing solution and advanced engineering services is recognized by specialists around the world as a key factor to accelerate the market launches of new aircraft and significantly shorten aerospace hardware development programs. The Ground Vibration Testing solution features:

              •Reduced test risk
              •Shorter testing times
              •Increased modal behavior transparency
              •Near real-time correlation and test quality validation

LMS references for Ground Vibration Testing include AgustaWestland, BAE Systems, Cessna, CIRA, CSA, DLR, EADS CASA Military Transport Aircraft Division, EADS Space Transportation, Lockheed Martin, National Aerospace Laboratory, NASA, Raytheon, RKK Energia, Saab Aircraft, Sikorsky, Tsagi, and Tupolev among others.

	DLR and ONERA select LMS as Ground Vibration Testing (GVT) partner The LMS agreement with DLR (the German national research center for aeronautics and space, transportation and energy) and ONERA (the French national aerospace research center) to deliver their next-generation Ground Vibration Testing (GVT) systems.
	GVT on Unmanned Space vehicles at CIRA – the Italian Aerospace Research centre Italian Aerospace Research Center CIRA prepares its Unmanned Space Vehicle with LMS Ground Vibration Testing solution
	EADS-CASA implements the LMS Ground Vibration Testing (GVT) solution EADS-CASA completes large-scale Airbus A400M ground vibration test in less than a month’s time; March 6, 2009. EADS-CASA reduces time in aircraft ground vibration testing with LMS Test.Lab - Deployment project enables EADS-CASA to improve the structural dynamics analysis and compress testing cycle time for the Airbus A330 MRTT;
	Cessna and LMS Engineering Services accelerate Ground Vibration Testing of new aircrafts with LMS testing and analysis systems. Putting it all on the line with Cessna’s new bizjets: LMS Ground Vibration Testing (GVT) and analysis technology helps leading business jet manufacturer develop a new model quickly in a market where there is no room for error Cessna relies on LMS for Ground Vibration Testing: New York to Munich. London to Dubai.Singapore to Sydney. Miami to San Paulo. Your world is about to get a whole lot smaller.
	NASA engineers at the Marshall Space Flight Center use LMS test systems to conduct a modal test on a five segment solid rocket motor. Back to the Moon, on to Mars. As part of its responsibility for many of the modal tests within the U.S. space agency, Marshall’s Structural Dynamics Test Branch also will use LMS Test.Lab for ground vibration tests of the new vehicles
	The Airbus Loads and Aero-elastics division in Toulouse, France, uses LMS hybrid technologies and software to update structural models of aircraft, combining CAE and Test data. Hybrid Simulation at Airbus, a Proven Industrial Process. Airbus uses LMS hybrid technologies to update structural models of aircraft, combining CAE and Test data.
	LMS Engineering Services performed a GVT on Goodrich landing gear for the Airbus A380 LMS Engineering Services performed a modal test campaign on Goodrich landing gear for the Airbus A380 Safeguarding 1,300,000 pounds during takeoff and landing.
	The Brazilian Institute of Aeronautics and Space (IAE) implements LMS solutions in ground vibrations testing to better identify critical vibration modes on ground vibration tests (GVT). The Brazilian Institute of Aeronautics and Space (IAE) implements LMS solutions in ground vibrations testing
	EADS Space Transportation increases vibration qualification test productivity with LMS Test.Lab. EADS Space Transportation Increases Productivity of Vibration Qualification Tests with LMS Test.Lab

Accelerating Ground Vibration Testing and Modal Survey Testing

The LMS Ground Vibration Testing solution enables aircraft and spacecraft manufacturers to accelerate testing assignments with higher quality data production.

Virtual GVT reduces the risk of missing critical modes during the physical test. Virtual GVT studies assess test observability long before instrumentation of the structure by optimizing sensors and excitation locations as well as checking the adverse coupling effects of the boundary conditions.
Integrated GVT Hardware and Software significantly shortens testing time. The solution platform includes test instrumentation management, a full set of complementary excitation and acquisition techniques, performant modal analysis technology, data management and reporting tools.
LMS GVT technologies enable testing teams to quantify the confidence of the delivered modal data. The test observability is increased through multiple excitation techniques, modal validation techniques and non linear behavior assessment of the structure.
Near real time correlation and test quality validation capabilities allow testing and analysis teams to agree on acceptance of the data acquired and proceed to next phase of the test campaign
Assistance and technology transfer services for large scale modal tests.
An Integrated Approach to the Dynamic Testing of Aerospace Structures, Ground Vibration Test and Modal survey test

A complete portfolio of integrated engineering solutions

The aerospace design process requires close contact between testing and simulation departments. LMS is unique in combining advanced testing and analysis, simulation software and engineering services into a dedicated, integrated engineering solution.

Testing solutions

LMS offers a dedicated set of GVT and modal survey testing solutions, based on tightly integrated data acquisition front-ends and testing and analysis software:

The LMS Scadas III hardware platform for high performance and high-quality data acquisition, integrating all required signal conditioning
The LMS Test.Lab software suite for instrumentation definition, configuration management, data acquisition and online processing, modal analysis and validation, reporting and engineering data management
An intuitive GUI with built-in user guidance and work-flow support to reduce training costs
All excitations modes: (burst) random, stepped, swept sine and normal mode testing (also known as phase resonance testing) in one common user environment
Extensive suite of test-based modal validation tools, integrated in the acquisition software, with direct access to FE predictions
Revolutionary LMS PolyMAX for accelerated and high-quality curve fitting

Simulation solutions

LMS offers advanced simulation solutions for better physical test preparation and optimal data exploitation to obtain a highly reliable model for flutter and stress prediction.

LMS Virtual.Lab Pre Test provides better measurement campaign control, based on existing FE model knowledge
LMS Virtual.Lab Correlation and Model Updating improve simulation model quality based on reference data obtained from physical testing

Engineering Services

LMS Engineering Services’ dedicated team offers a unique combination of engineering skills, development experience, and application know-how in GVT and modal survey testing.They can provide complete assistance and technology transfer services for large-scale modal tests.

Download LMS GVT brochure

LMS Solutions for Ground Vibration Testing

Modern solutions for Ground Vibration Testing of large aircraft

Ground vibration testing in the aeroelastic design and certification of a small composite aircraft

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