What is shock and vibration test equipment?
Shock and vibration test equipment reproduces the mechanical environments a product will face in shipping, handling and service, so engineers can find weaknesses in the lab instead of the field. The category includes shock machines that deliver controlled transients, shakers that apply sustained vibration, and package testers that simulate drops, impacts and transport.
Qualification programs for missiles, avionics, vehicle electronics, medical devices and consumer packages all rely on these machines. Test specifications such as MIL-STD-810H, MIL-STD-883 and ISTA procedures define the environment. The equipment must then reproduce it repeatably, within tolerance and with documented proof.
How shock machines and shakers work
Shock machines accelerate a table and stop it abruptly against a programmer. The programmer, which may be an elastomer pad, a crushable material or a gas-charged device, shapes the deceleration into a half-sine, trapezoidal or terminal-peak sawtooth pulse. Free-fall machines use gravity. Pneumatic machines use compressed gas to reach higher velocity changes and peak g in a shorter distance.
Mechanical reaction-mass shakers spin eccentric masses on one or more shafts. Counter-rotating shafts cancel unwanted force directions to produce vertical or horizontal motion, and the machine reacts against an isolated base. They are workhorses for heavy, low-frequency sine testing.
Electrodynamic shakers work like large loudspeakers: current in an armature coil within a magnetic field produces force. They run sine, random and classical shock profiles to high frequencies, using head expanders and slip plates to mount large or horizontal test articles.
Package testers apply drops, incline impacts and repetitive transport shocks to packaged products at defined heights, velocities and amplitudes.
| Equipment | Motion | Strength | Typical specifications |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pneumatic shock machine | Single high-g transient | Very high g, short pulses | MIL-STD-883, MIL-STD-810H |
| Free-fall shock machine | Gravity-driven transient | Heavy payloads, simple operation | MIL-STD-810H, component shock |
| Mechanical shaker | Low-frequency sine | High force at low cost | Transport and durability vibration |
| Electrodynamic shaker | Broadband sine and random | Frequency range and profile flexibility | MIL-STD-810H, DO-160G, ISTA random |
| Transportation simulator | Repetitive bounce | Package-level transport | ASTM D999, ASTM D4169 |
| Drop and incline impact testers | Free fall and horizontal impact | Handling damage | ISTA, ASTM D880 |
| Centrifuge | Sustained acceleration | Constant g loads | MIL-STD-810H Method 513, DO-160G |
Common applications
- Defense and space hardware: qualification of missile, munition, fuze and avionics components, a core need in Huntsville’s Redstone Arsenal and NASA contractor community.
- Microelectronics: high-g mechanical shock for devices screened to MIL-STD-883.
- Automotive: durability and environmental stress screening for electronics suppliers across the Southeast.
- Packaging and distribution: ISTA and ASTM testing, including Amazon’s ISTA 6 procedures.
- Contract test labs and universities: multi-purpose shock and vibration capacity, often supplemented by upgrades to legacy machines.
Choosing the right shock and vibration test system
Let the specification and the heaviest test article drive the decision. Many labs discover that no single machine covers everything. A mechanical shaker is economical for heavy, low-frequency sine tests, while random vibration above that range calls for an electrodynamic system.
Fixturing is often underestimated. A fixture resonance inside the test band can overtest or undertest the article. Head expanders and fixtures designed with FEA and built from magnesium keep mass low and resonances high. Before buying new, evaluate whether control retrofits or refurbishment can return an existing machine to service.
Manufacturers we represent for shock and vibration testing
Emerson Apparatus of Gorham, Maine, founded in 1908 and unrelated to Emerson Electric, acquired Vibration and Shock Technologies (VST) in 2019. VST was founded by former M/RAD engineers. Emerson Apparatus builds pneumatic and free-fall shock machines, mechanical reaction-mass shakers, transportation simulators, drop and incline impact testers and test centrifuges. It also designs magnesium head expanders, slip plates and custom fixtures for other brands’ electrodynamic shakers, and it retrofits and rebuilds legacy machines with ShockTool and Vibration Tool control software.
Get local application support
Vaughn Associates’ Huntsville team works with defense, aerospace and commercial test labs on test specifications, machine sizing and facility planning. Visit engineering support, request a quote, or find your area manager on the territories page.
