Test system gives accurate vibration measurements

National Instruments has announced a portable bus-powered dynamic signal acquisition (DSA) module and a suite of vibration sensors suitable for making high-accuracy vibration measurements.

The NI USB-4431 DSA module acquires data at rates from one to 102.4kS/s, which makes it possible to obtain a wide measurement bandwidth.

The combination of the USB-4431 and the vibration sensors, which include three accelerometers, a triaxial accelerometer and an impact hammer, gives engineers and scientists a complete stimulus response system.

The USB-4431 is a five-channel DSA module for making high-accuracy measurements from integrated electronics piezoelectric (IEPE) sensors.

The module consists of four 24-bit simultaneously sampled analogue input channels and one 24-bit analogue output channel, which are ideal for stimulus response test systems.

The USB-4431 also works well for a variety of field test applications such as frequency response audio tests and suspension shaker tests due to its portability.

Additionally, the module delivers 100dB of dynamic range and incorporates software-selectable IEPE signal conditioning for accelerometers and microphones.

The sensor suite includes three high-accuracy accelerometers and a triaxial accelerometer that are compatible with all NI DSA devices.

The accelerometers have low-impedance output signals that allow for accurate signal transmission over long cables, and their small form factor allows them to be included in a variety of monitoring and test systems.

The triaxial accelerometer characterises the acceleration of an object or device being measured in all three dimensions with a single sensor to minimise cabling at the source.

Also included in the sensor suite is a modal analysis impact hammer, a device that delivers effective measurements of stimulus signals.

With this flexible impact hammer, engineers and scientists can measure the stimulus force for a wide range of frequencies and magnitudes required for proper object characterisation.

The impact hammer, triaxial accelerometer and USB-4431 combine to form a precise structural monitoring stimulus response test system.

Engineers and scientists can get their applications up and running with the configuration-based NI Sound and Vibration Assistant software, or with more than 50 ready-to-run NI Labview software example code bases provided in the NI Sound and Vibration Measurement Suite.

The software suite includes a pre-built Sound and Vibration Assistant project for impact hammer response to help engineers and scientists rapidly set up a structural test application.

The Sound and Vibration Measurement Suite also features pre-built virtual instruments (VIs) for NVH and rotating machinery vibration analysis applications so engineers and scientists can quickly set up almost any sound and vibration application.

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