Dynamics Testing
National Technical Systems (NTS)
Motorized products must pass a series of tests to ensure readiness for mass production. The parts that comprise an automobile, for example, are submitted to dynamics test labs to endure varying degrees of pressure, noise, vibrations and other challenging forces.
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Acceleration Testing
Acceleration testing provides engineers with data on the behavior of materials and equipment when the test items are subjected to acceleration forces (typically measured in terms of g-forces) applied slowly and held steadily for extended periods of time. Acceleration testing specifically avoids creating shock, vibration, or dynamic (resonant) responses in test items.
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Acoustic Testing
Different types of devices have different thresholds for acceptable amounts of acoustic noise. Acoustic testing services assess how your product will perform in real-world conditions, and whether or not further revisions should be made to reduce noise. At NTS, we have more than 50 years of experience performing acoustic noise testing and monitoring. We can determine an appropriate testing protocol for your needs, and ensure it is completed to the highest possible standards at one of our many test centers located across the country.
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Drop Testing
During installation, transport or repair, many products have a risk of being dropped. While handlers receive training to treat these items with care, mishaps happen to even the most experienced professionals. Drop testing ensures the product stays in its original condition from manufacturing to implementation.In addition to ensuring that products survive their journey from point A to point B, many products are at risk for being dropped or jarred throughout their lifetime. These products include handheld devices and tools, lab equipment, personal computers, field measuring equipment, construction tools, etc. In such cases, drop testing may be required to ensure that expensive tools or equipment are capable of surviving the perils of expected use and abuse.
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Dynamometer Testing
Dynamometer testing remains the industry standard for gauging the performance and durability of an automotive drivetrain components. Many facilities offer dyno testing, but few have the pedigree of NTS. For more than 50 years, we have been a valued partner to automotive, aerospace, defense and other industries in which advanced engineering expertise is required to bring a new product to market.
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Fatigue Testing and Analysis
Nearly every material known to man is subject to fatigue failure. This is true of polymers, plastics, composites, and metals. The general rule is as follows: if a person can bend something back and forth enough times, they can eventually break it.
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Loose Cargo Bounce Testing
Shipping containers carrying military and civilian hardware often spend a considerable amount of time in the backs of transport trucks. When the cargo travels off road being delivered to remote fields of operation, the ride can be quite rough. Items that see rough road duty may be encased telephones, laptops, missiles or medical equipment, and regardless of the journey, the gear has to work upon arrival.
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product
Pressure Impulse Testing
Hydraulic systems can be found in on- and off-road vehicles, aircraft, heavy equipment and many other machines and devices. Being able to accurately predict the lifespan of hoses and other wear items in a hydraulic system is of critical importance, both for determining appropriate service intervals and for reducing your liability.
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Vibration Testing
From sub-atomic particles all the way up to skyscrapers, internal movements and motions resulting from the absorption of energy make all objects vibrate to some degree. This fact means that in a world filled with energy and movement, vibrations — or the oscillating responses of objects when moved from a position of rest — are the norm.
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product
Force Limited Vibration Testing
In vibration testing of high value aerospace hardware, over testing of light, high performance structures is a great concern. Discrepancies between the mechanical impedances and the force capabilities of the mounting structure and the vibration shaker can cause catastrophic structural and functional problems to test item. The effectiveness of the radar depends on it retaining its structural integrity over the entire surface of the antenna and that all its electronics are a) tested at, or near levels they will experience in its service life and b) the resonance of various parts of the radar follow those of the model. Consequently, the vibration test lab required 60 data channels to accurately verify the design of the instrument and its ability to withstand launch, cruise and deployment loads. To avoid over testing, NTS used Force Limiting Test Process using four force transducers to prevent exceeding total load of 1000 pounds.
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Dual Shaker Testing
NTS has a number of facilities capable of conducting dual shaker testing, vibration testing utilizing multiple electrodynamic exciters, for the evaluation of large payloads.Once such example was conducted as part of the test program for NASA’s Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer or LADEE. NTS worked with NASA’s Ames Research Center for simulated environmental testing of the LADEE observatory which included dual shaker vibration.Vibration testing on the observatory was conducted utilizing the NTS Santa Clarita facilities tandem Ling B-340 electrodynamic exciters. These exciters allow either dual shaker vibration testing, or in the case of the LADEE observatory tests, they minimize the test set-up time. The electrodynamic exciters were staged with one in the thrust axis and the other set-up for lateral axes vibration. This dual shaker set up allowed for a quick transition from one test to the other. During the tests, the vibration test lab was maintained at a class 10,000 cleanliness level.
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product
Acceleration Testing
Acceleration testing provides engineers with data on the behavior of materials and equipment when the test items are subjected to acceleration forces (typically measured in terms of g-forces) applied slowly and held steadily for extended periods of time. Acceleration testing specifically avoids creating shock, vibration, or dynamic (resonant) responses in test items.
-
product
Acoustic Testing
Different types of devices have different thresholds for acceptable amounts of acoustic noise. Acoustic testing services assess how your product will perform in real-world conditions, and whether or not further revisions should be made to reduce noise. At NTS, we have more than 50 years of experience performing acoustic noise testing and monitoring. We can determine an appropriate testing protocol for your needs, and ensure it is completed to the highest possible standards at one of our many test centers located across the country.
-
product
Drop Testing
During installation, transport or repair, many products have a risk of being dropped. While handlers receive training to treat these items with care, mishaps happen to even the most experienced professionals. Drop testing ensures the product stays in its original condition from manufacturing to implementation.In addition to ensuring that products survive their journey from point A to point B, many products are at risk for being dropped or jarred throughout their lifetime. These products include handheld devices and tools, lab equipment, personal computers, field measuring equipment, construction tools, etc. In such cases, drop testing may be required to ensure that expensive tools or equipment are capable of surviving the perils of expected use and abuse.
-
product
Fatigue Testing and Analysis
Nearly every material known to man is subject to fatigue failure. This is true of polymers, plastics, composites, and metals. The general rule is as follows: if a person can bend something back and forth enough times, they can eventually break it.
-
product
Loose Cargo Bounce Testing
Shipping containers carrying military and civilian hardware often spend a considerable amount of time in the backs of transport trucks. When the cargo travels off road being delivered to remote fields of operation, the ride can be quite rough. Items that see rough road duty may be encased telephones, laptops, missiles or medical equipment, and regardless of the journey, the gear has to work upon arrival.
-
product
Pressure Impulse Testing
Hydraulic systems can be found in on- and off-road vehicles, aircraft, heavy equipment and many other machines and devices. Being able to accurately predict the lifespan of hoses and other wear items in a hydraulic system is of critical importance, both for determining appropriate service intervals and for reducing your liability.
-
product
Vibration Testing
From sub-atomic particles all the way up to skyscrapers, internal movements and motions resulting from the absorption of energy make all objects vibrate to some degree. This fact means that in a world filled with energy and movement, vibrations — or the oscillating responses of objects when moved from a position of rest — are the norm.
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product
Highly Accelerated Thermal Shock (HATS2™) Testing
NTS is the exclusive provider of HATS2™testing services in North America. Thermal shock testing has long been the accepted method to check robustness and reliability of plated-through holes and solder joint connections. Historically, thermal shock testing has been performed utilizing either dual chamber air-to-air systems or liquid-to-liquid systems. Both of these methods offer significant disadvantages in cost, time, and the fact that the samples must be transported between the hot and cold environments. Transportation of the samples between the temperature environments makes monitoring the resistance of the samples difficult and inaccurate due to the length and quantity of wires. The infrequent monitoring typically associated with traditional thermal shock methods also makes detection of “glitch” conditions marginal at best.
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product
Force Limited Vibration Testing
In vibration testing of high value aerospace hardware, over testing of light, high performance structures is a great concern. Discrepancies between the mechanical impedances and the force capabilities of the mounting structure and the vibration shaker can cause catastrophic structural and functional problems to test item. The effectiveness of the radar depends on it retaining its structural integrity over the entire surface of the antenna and that all its electronics are a) tested at, or near levels they will experience in its service life and b) the resonance of various parts of the radar follow those of the model. Consequently, the vibration test lab required 60 data channels to accurately verify the design of the instrument and its ability to withstand launch, cruise and deployment loads. To avoid over testing, NTS used Force Limiting Test Process using four force transducers to prevent exceeding total load of 1000 pounds.
-
product
Dual Shaker Testing
NTS has a number of facilities capable of conducting dual shaker testing, vibration testing utilizing multiple electrodynamic exciters, for the evaluation of large payloads.Once such example was conducted as part of the test program for NASA’s Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer or LADEE. NTS worked with NASA’s Ames Research Center for simulated environmental testing of the LADEE observatory which included dual shaker vibration.Vibration testing on the observatory was conducted utilizing the NTS Santa Clarita facilities tandem Ling B-340 electrodynamic exciters. These exciters allow either dual shaker vibration testing, or in the case of the LADEE observatory tests, they minimize the test set-up time. The electrodynamic exciters were staged with one in the thrust axis and the other set-up for lateral axes vibration. This dual shaker set up allowed for a quick transition from one test to the other. During the tests, the vibration test lab was maintained at a class 10,000 cleanliness level.
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product
Bird Strike Testing
Many people may consider flocking birds such as sea gulls, ravens, and pigeons to be a nuisance but otherwise harmless. However, to jet aircraft and individuals carried aboard, the possibility of a bird strike poses an existential threat. For instance, when U.S. Airways Flight 1549 crashed into the Hudson River in New York back in January, 2009, the subsequent investigations performed by the NTSB and FAA found that a double bird strike during take-off (one in each engine) caused the incident.
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Corrosion Testing
Realistically, the only way to know whether or not a particular product will withstand corrosive environments is to test it in corrosive environments. Unfortunately, testing equipment in their intended environments would take years at the rates that corrosion normally occurs. This means the solution involves testing equipment under conditions that produce highly accelerated rates of corrosion. Our corrosion testing laboratories are equipped to provide corrosion testing and corrosion monitoring under accelerated conditions to simulate years’ worth of accumulated corrosion within a period of days.
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Lightweight Hammershock Testing
Lightweight Shock Machine (LWSM) Testing per MIL-DTL-901E is the military specification covering shock test requirements for shipboard machinery, equipment, systems and structures. Anyone who produces an item for military use in any of these shipboard categories will likely need to complete this testing. The purpose of this testing is to verify the ability of shipboard installations to withstand shock loadings which may be incurred during wartime service due to the effects of conventional or nuclear weapons. These requirements grew out of the Navy’s experiences during World War II and the subsequent underwater explosion (UNDEX) experiments. In many cases, it was found that critical ship systems could be disabled by the shock effects of nearby weapons explosions that were not a direct hit on the ship itself.
