Every structure vibrates. From automotive components to aircraft assemblies and rotating machinery, vibrations reveal how a design behaves under real-world conditions. Modal analysis is the science that makes those vibrations measurable and meaningful. By identifying a structure’s natural frequencies, mode shapes, and damping, modal analysis helps engineers predict, control, and
Organizations that rely on digital workflows must contend with assumptions about geometry, material properties, boundary conditions, linearity, and other variables that rarely act exactly as expected in the real world. Physical testing supplies the practical data to correlate models, validate assumptions, and expose anomalies often overlooked by simulations. When applied
We live in a digital world. Design, analysis, and manufacturing applications automate and accelerate time-to-market. Artificial intelligence (AI), smart manufacturing, and robotics are increasingly common on the factory floor. Equipment monitors itself, schedules maintenance, and even triggers corrective action before failure occurs. Within mechanical engineering, automated systems collect and analyze
Laying strain gages correctly is critical for obtaining accurate and reliable test data in experimental stress analysis. Whether used in materials testing, structural health monitoring, or component validation, the quality of strain gage installation directly affects the quality of the data. Here are some best practices for laying strain gages.
All rotating equipment vibrates. But excessive vibration can lead to a multitude of issues that compromise performance, safety, and longevity. Understanding these issues is critical to designing and troubleshooting equipment on the drawing board or in the field. Accelerated Wear and Tear Mechanical components subjected to continuous excessive vibration experience
Real-world operating data, collected in a product’s natural environment, is the best source of baseline information needed to validate designs and troubleshoot failure. For manufacturers and suppliers extended data sample sets provide a far more accurate representation of how a product will react to forces, vibrations, heat, fatigue, and the
In this short podcast, 6D Vice President, Garth Wiley discusses the company’s approach to training. In addition to traditional methods, 6D offers remote and project-based hands-on training options. Listen here.
Hey everyone, Cody here. Today, I want to talk about something we’ve tackled on a few projects before—bonding leadwires to surfaces that are going to be exposed to high centrifugal forces. Think about the kind of stress we’re talking here—like what we see on rotating components, such as compressor and
Finite Element Analysis (FEA) is a cornerstone of modern engineering, particularly in aerospace, where safety and performance are paramount. FEA allows engineers to simulate how components will behave under various conditions, identifying potential issues before they become critical. But what exactly does FEA involve, and how does it contribute to
As a test engineer, I’m accustomed to the unexpected. But nothing quite prepared me for the call I received on a Friday afternoon from a well-known player in the space community. They had a couple of critical issues with the onboard instrumentation of a rocket set to launch at the
