Quick setup, real-time monitoring, immediate analysis of results, and fast report generation enable the company to shorten turnaround time for in-vehicle testing.
Leuven, Belgium – LMS, the engineering innovation company, announced today that the automotive testing and consulting firm mi Technology has implemented LMS Test.Lab to boost its efficiency by 40% in performing NVH tests for complete vehicles as well as individual components and systems. Headquartered in the northern UK city of Leyland, the company uses the LMS system to assist OEMs and suppliers around the world in developing new products as well as troubleshooting problems in existing lines for cars, trucks, buses, motorcycles and other vehicles. Typical projects include testing radiated noise of new engines, powertrain vibration modes, and vehicle pass-by noise as well as identifying and resolving problems such as passenger compartment noise and exhaust resonances.
The NVH test system implemented at mi Technology consists of the LMS Test.Lab software suite and multiple LMS SCADAS front-end units, ranging from a 12 channels LMS SCADAS 305 to a 32 channels LMS SCADAS Mobile and versatile signal-conditioning capabilities that engineers readily adapt to the particular test application. The system is used for sound-chamber acoustic tests and vibration bench tests at the company’s in-house labs at facilities in the UK as well as for vehicle tests at its proving ground in Hungary and on-site at customer locations around the world.
"The LMS system is particularly well-suited for use in our field testing activities,” explains Matthieu Tessier, a senior NVH engineer at mi Technology. “The Mobile front-end is about the size and weight of a laptop, so we can easily transport the system and quickly set it up on the front passenger seat of a car or even on a motorcycle seat. Using convenient remote controls, one person can drive the vehicle and run the test. The user interface display is large enough to clearly see key parameters and analysis results at a glance while we drive, with oversize plots showing curves easily customized for specific tests.”
For routine, repetitive tests, Tessier notes that engineers readily create templates that technicians easily follow in setting up the test and taking measurements. In this way, many tests can be performed by technicians and free up engineers’ time for higher-level tasks, risk of error is reduced, and tests are standardized so that results are repeatable, consistent and more easily compared to one another.
“The real-time capability in LMS Test.Lab is a huge time-saver,” says Tessier. “We can validate measurements on the spot and see results immediately with on-line plots such as waterfall diagrams and spectral maps. Real-time feedback gives us valuable insight into the root cause of problems and the effect of various parameters,” says Tessier.
“In studying a noise boom issue in a car, for example, we can directly see how the noise level relates to the road surface, vehicle speed and engine rpm. In this way, we conduct required testing as we drive, and leave the vehicle with a clear diagnosis of the problem and a good indication of a possible solution. Right after testing, more detailed analysis can be performed quickly with tools such as Operational Deflection Shape Analysis that shows in animated slow-motion how various parts of the structure bend and twist at various frequencies. Customers are impressed to have such comprehensive results available immediately.”
Windows-based report generation capabilities of LMS Test.Lab provide additional time savings, with plots and graphs conveniently copied and pasted into Microsoft Word or PowerPoint with no data conversion required. The LMS Active Pictures capability enables anyone opening the report file to magnify, rotate, animate or otherwise manipulate live test data without needing to have LMS Test.Lab on their system.
“Quick setup, real-time monitoring, immediate analysis of results, and fast report generation all add up to a significant testing productivity gain,” explains Tessier. “With LMS Test.Lab, we can now complete the entire test process significantly faster, from initial setup to final report generation. Quicker turnaround greatly improves customer response and strengthens our position in a market where getting demanding jobs done faster is a huge competitive advantage.”
About LMS
LMS is an engineering innovation partner for companies in the automotive, aerospace and other advanced manufacturing industries. LMS enables its customers to get better products faster to market, and to turn superior process efficiency to their strategic competitive advantage. LMS delivers a unique combination of virtual simulation software, testing systems, and engineering services. We are focused on the mission critical performance attributes in key manufacturing industries, including structural integrity, handling, safety, reliability, comfort and sound quality. Through our technology, people and over 25 years of experience, LMS has become the partner of choice for most of the leading discrete manufacturing companies worldwide. LMS, a Dassault Systèmes SIMULIA partner, is certified to ISO9001:2000 quality standards and operates through a network of subsidiaries and representatives in key locations around the world.
For more information on LMS, visit the company’s web site at http://www.lmsintl.com.
For more information on LMS, visit the company’s web site at http://www.lmsintl.com.
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