Engineering company LMS has introduced its method for ground vibration testing at the Aerospace Testing, Design & Manufacturing Expo in Munich, Germany. LMS offers an integrated solution and engineering services to help aerospace manufacturers get shorter testing times, while increasing test observability and overall quality for ground vibration testing (GVT). By working with aircraft manufacturers from all over the world, LMS has developed an approach which combines simulation and physical testing to accelerate and optimise the complete testing cycle – from test preparation and modal testing to modal analysis, numerical model correlation and model updating.
The aerospace industry is continuously under pressure to develop lighter components, systems, aircraft and spacecraft in shorter time cycles and at lower cost - without compromising quality or safety. On one hand, engineering teams must reduce testing time while increasing data quality and accuracy. On the other hand, they still need to ensure the structural integrity of the aircraft or spacecraft and other critical components.
The integrated GVT solution from LMS addresses these productivity challenges. It reduces the risk involved in GVT testing campaigns, while shortening the total test lead time. The LMS GVT solution also includes multiple excitation, modal validation and non-linear behavior assessment techniques, which increase modal behavior observability. This allows testing teams to efficiently and reliably identify all the critical modes in the aircraft, which is one of the key GVT objectives. The LMS GVT solution is based on the LMS Test.Lab testing and analysis software suite and a series of interconnected LMS SCADAS III data acquisition front-ends adding up to over 1,000 channels. The solution includes test instrumentation management, a full set of complementary excitation and acquisition techniques, advanced modal analysis technology, data management and reporting tools.
LMS complements its integrated GVT solution with simulation solutions. This reduces the risk of missing critical modes during the physical test since they can be identified upfront on a simulation model long before the test structure instrumentation. By integrating test and simulation, LMS offers a unique opportunity to use finite element (FE) models to guide the test and validate the test result quality. In addition, test results are directly applied to correlate and validate FE models during GVT execution. This allows testing and analysis teams to agree on the acquired data on the spot and confidently proceed to next phase of the test campaign.
