Sine sweep test

Description

During the sine sweep test, the shaker generates a harmonic sinusoidal oscillation with a changing, sliding frequency (sine sweep). A sliding of the frequency from the lower limit frequency to the upper limit frequency and back again is referred to as a sine sweep. The oscillation amplitude can be constant or variable. The frequency of the sinusoidal oscillation can be changed with a linear or logarithmic rat.

A sine sweep is usually described by the band of the sliding frequency, its rate of change and the amplitude of the oscillation. For a logarithmic sweep the rate of change is often specified in octaves per minute.

A variant of the sine sweep test is the multi-sine test, in which several sine sweeps are generated simultaneously.

Application using the example of rotating motors

Harmonic vibrations are generated, for example, by the operation of rotating machines such as engines or turbines, in contrast to stochastic, random vibrations on road and rail vehicles caused by driving on uneven ground.

The sine sweep test is therefore often used to verify the fatigue strength of parts and components of rotating machines. The Frequency band of the sine sweep, the level of excitation and the test duration respectively the number of sine sweeps depend on the characteristics of the vibration excitation by the machine and the vibration behavior of the device under test.