Sine-on-Random Vibration

We were approached by an aerospace company to analyze their system for use in a helicopter application. They were required by their customer to virtually test their system for Sine-on-Random Vibration, and Shock per the aerospace standard RTCA DO-160G before performing physical testing with a group of assets on a vibration table.

DO-160G provides specifications for vibration testing of this kind. Its primary purpose is to guide physical testing but we adapted it where appropriate to guide our virtual testing. We modeled the system in SolidWorks and analyzed the model in ANSYS Workbench. Special provisions had to be made for component connections as dynamic analyses of this sort limit the available connections to linear (i.e. no frictionless or frictional type connections). The method for sine-on-random testing also proved to be a challenge.

The results have been used by our customer to guide their physical testing.

Image courtesy of Hustvedt, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons