Liebherr-Aerospace in France recently shared this video showing off their new Unholtz-Dickie T4000 shaker system used for vibration testing of aircraft HVAC equipment. The massive shaker is rated at 40,000lbf sine/random and 100,000lbf shock and is powered by a 360KVA amplifier. Two large structure-guided Head Expanders and two interchangeable Slip Plates allow for a myriad of system configurations.
According to the head of Liebherr's R&D test department, "Prior to this, vibration tests for the [air conditioning] packs were carried out externally. But for some types of equipment this was no longer possible because over the last ten years the level of vibration tests requested by clients has increased considerably."
"There are two stages in the vibration test," explains Julien Courty, head of vibration & acoustics test deparment. "During the first stage, the equipment must be subjected to the same kind of vibration limits it will experience on an everyday basis. This is to check that it continues to function correctly; that its fan still works properly for example. The second stage is an endurance test during which we simulate the equipment's length of service in an aircraft and check that it's still operational."
Liebherr says that in 2017 over fifty types of equiment will be tested on their new UD system.
To find out how a new Unholtz-Dickie shaker can help your company perform vibration testing in-house please contact a sales engineer today.