m+p international's SmartOffice aims are new:
- To develop a native Microsoft Windows solution and to take advantage
of current O/S and networking standards to help users reduce
development time and costs.
- To implement a user interface with a Windows
philosophy, reducing training requirements.
- To use the PC hardware and office tools engineers
have readily available to create a highly productive desktop
environment.
- To provide a Team Working environment for
consolidation, sharing and handling of data from the field and lab to
the office.
To these basic architectural ingredients, the Noise
and Vibration technology was added by a team with extensive experience
in the field, with the help of recognised leading universities and
written exclusively by Microsoft Certified programmers.
For user flexibility, the decision regarding
acquisition hardware was kept open to allow interfaces with National
Instruments, VXI Technology, OROS, TEAC, Sony and others.
The key SmartOffice design objectives:
- Within one application
Import data, do real-time data acquisition, analyse results and
create reports, in the field, in the lab and in the office.
- Compatibility
Allow engineers to import data from more than 20 different standard
N&V formats.
- Active Documents
A fully ActiveX compliant architecture enables simple Copy&Paste of
graphs or animated shapes into compliant applications such as
Microsoft Word or PowerPoint.
- Wizards
SmartOffice uses intelligent wizards, which step by step, guide
engineers through the complicated process of data acquisition,
analysis and reporting.
- Metadata
The metadata reflects the concept of a full and open user-definable
documentation with an unlimited set of user information and full
integration of 3rd party data.
- Visual Basic-Compatible User programming
Automation of repetitive tasks using a built-in Visual
Basic-compatible programming language. Users' LABView, Matlab and
other special modules can also be integrated.
A Study of a typical SmartOffice Modal Analysis
application using the National Instruments 4472
With the NI4472 card, SmartOffice can be used on a
laptop with an additional hardware box just 200x135x45mm, installed
into a Desktop PC or mounted in a PXI rack fully integrated.
The NI4472 provides
- 24bit ADC giving 120dB dynamic range
- Up to 45kHz alias-free bandwidth
- Voltage and ICP input conditioning
- Configurable from 8 to 114 analog input channels in one chassis with
multi-chassis synchronisation.
Modal Analysis has three primary steps:
1. Geometry set up
2. Measurements of Frequency Response Functions (FRF = Response /
Force) for all chosen nodes on the structure.
3. Advanced Modal Analysis methods are then used to estimate, from the
measured FRF’s, the resonant frequencies and mode shapes for
visualisation.
Set-up is simple using the SmartOffice Geometry
wizard, multiple components of any type, point and click connection of
nodes and direct node identification to each measurement step are
included.
Measurements are taken using a modal hammer
equipped with a force transducer at the tip. Thus, during a hammer
impact, the exact excitation force can be measured. Based upon the
hardness of the tip, different frequency ranges can be excited.
Accelerometers are used to measure the structural responses.
SmartOffice controls the NI-4472 in every way,
allowing software set up of user information, transducer calibration,
acquisition and processing parameters. During the measurement step,
auto-power, cross-power, FRF and coherence functions are calculated,
automatic detection of double impacts and overloads is done, automatic
node number increment and automatic data storage are performed. This
level of automation increases engineer productivity and reduces costs.
The final Modal analysis is carried out using the
combined Time/Frequency Polyreference methods from the University of
Cincinnati, OH USA. These algorithms have proven to be the most stable
and flexible across a wide range of structures. Using the Advanced
Modal Parameters Estimation wizard, the resonant frequencies and
damping values are calculated based upon the Impulse response
functions, a stabilisation diagram is calculated and the stable
parameters selected. In a second step all modal vectors are calculated
using a Frequency domain approach.
Once the animated geometry is created this can be
exported to the final report document and sent to the customer who is
able to manipulate the view using the SmartOffice animation toolkit
within the Word document.
Conclusion:
SmartOffice combines a new software approach with
the very latest acquisition hardware to provide a completely
integrated Windows-Office-PC environment that can be used in a matter
of minutes to acquire, analyse and report the most complex of data
requirements.
Contact: m+p international (UK) Ltd, 3 The
Fairfield, Farnham, Surrey, GU9 8AH, UK
Tel: +44 1252 718822 email:
sales.uk@mpihome.com web:
www.mpiuk.co.uk
