MSFC’s Structural Dynamics Test Facilities:

Modal Testing Facility

A facility equipped for dynamic testing of flight structures, systems, payloads, and components requiring fixed, fixed-free, or free-free boundary conditions.

Capability:

Structural Dynamic Test capability to address the development, operation and safety of flight systems including:

• Full scale testing of flight structures, tanks, assemblies, and components with up to 256 channels of simultaneous data acquisition.
• Portable data acquisition systems for in-situ situations.
• Laser vibrometer measurement system when accelerometer mass loading is an issue.
• Multiple modal excitation capabilities including electro-dynamic shakers and impulse hammers.

• Verification of analytical models of flight structure and payloads.

Projects Supported Include, But Not Limited To:

•Space Shuttle improvements including external tank redesigns
• Advanced Space Transportation Program (ASTP) including X-vehicles
• International Space Station
• Payload Projects
• IR&T

 

Micro-gravity Emissions Testing Facitly

A facility equipped with highly sensitive instrumentation and data acquisition systems to accurately measure small responses during operational conditions.

Capability:

• Acceleration measurement sensitivity of 30 micro-g’s up to 200 Hz.
• High resolution real-time data acquisition with post-processing capability.
• Portable equipment for in-situ conditions.
• Test article support systems to simulate micro-g conditions.

 

Non-Contact Optical Measurement Facility

Electronic Speckle Pattern Interferometery

• Laser based optical full-field displacement measurement.

• Phase stepping optics for displacement measurement down to 50 nm.

• Measurement areas from 10mm to 6 inches or more.

• Primarily used for mode shape visualization up to 40 Khz.

• Data recorded with CCD camera for post test made shape visualization and animation.

• Capable of measuring in-plane strain.

 

Laser Vibrometry

• Laser point velocity measurement

• Scanning head for multi-point measurement

• Full-field measurement point interpolation for motion visualization.

• Velocity conversion to displacement.

• Measurement areas from several mm to m range.

• Vibration measurement up to 40 Khz.

Photogrammetry

• Full-field 3D displacement and motion measurement using white-light speckle correlation.

• Marker tracking for objects that can’t be speckled.

• Measurements acquired using high resolution or high speed digital video cameras.

• Measurement resolutions down to 0.01 pixel in-plane and 0.02 out-of-plane.

• Quasi-static and highly transient strain measurement capablities.

High Speed Cameras

• 3 v9 Phantom high speed cameras with 160 GB of memory each

• 10 bit SR-CMOS 1600x1200 pixel color sensor

• 1,000 picture per second (pps) at full resolution, 144,175pps max

• 3.5 minutes of real-time video storage at 400 pps full resolution

•7 v7 Phantom high speed cameras

• 12 bit SR-CMOS 800x600 pixel monochrome sensor

• 4800 pps full resolution

• 10,000 pps at 512x384, 160,000 max

Vibration Testing Facility
Eight electrodynamic exciters and five amplifiers simulate flight vehicle dynamic loads and, validate flight and ground support hardware.

Vibro-acoustic Testing Facility
Consists of a reverberation chamber capable of 164 dB diffuse field, a progressive wave tube capable of 172 dB, and an anechoic chamber capable of measuring below NC40 levels.

Pyrotechnic Shock Facility
A hazardous area equipped for generating dynamic transients with explosive materials. High speed data acquisition and analysis is available.