TRaC extends environmental test offering with new wide-range shaker

TRaC's latest investment is a model V8-440T by LDS, part of Brüel & Kjær: it is a guided slip
table-format vibration test system with a capacity of up to 700 kg, and two interchangeable table sizes that provide maximum flexibility in mounting test subjects. The system can generate forces up to 66 kN, over a frequency range from DC to 2.5 kHz, subjecting units-under-test to accelerations up to 140g. The new shaker is TRaC's first system that can produce displacements of as large as 63.5 mm, and brings the total number of vibration test systems in the company's various facilities to 15. The LDS V8, as well as being a versatile shaker that can perform a broad range of screening and qualification testing, extends TRaC's services in several particular directions.

The combination of large displacement and wide-duration shock pulses matches specific requirements in the aerospace industry, that of jet-engine “windmilling”, more commonly known as “fan blade off” (one blade detached from a turbine's fan): the LDS system's capabilities in generating vibration stresses at low frequencies are the key to this extended service.

In addition to these specialist tests, TRaC's latest investment will consolidate and extend its vibration and shock testing services for electronic assemblies – including ruggedised military and avionics systems – satellite components, and general product and packaging evaluation. Visitors to the Warwick site will find the new LDS V8 system installed in a custom-built soundproof cell.