Shock Testing Apparatus Using Seismic Airguns
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current shock testing methods, such as swing hammer and rotary motion-based machines, fail to accurately replicate the complex shock environments experienced by warships due to underwater explosions (UNDEX), limiting their ability to assess the robustness of equipment and systems effectively.
Innovation Solution
A portable shock testing apparatus utilizing seismic airguns to create a transient acoustic pulse within a fluid-filled tank, which moves a float to impact a test item, allowing for adjustable shock pulse shaping and magnitude, and featuring adjustable damping mechanisms to control motion and orientation of the impact table.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If swing hammer or rotary motion shock testing machines are used, then the testing can be performed with fixed infrastructure, but the shock waveform only provides a limited approximation to the desired UNDEX shock waveform
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical shock generation systems (swing hammer, rotary motion machines) with a pneumatic system using compressed air guns to generate shock waves through water. This substitution allows accurate replication of UNDEX shock waveforms by using gas pressure to move floats, eliminating the limitations of mechanical approximation while maintaining system manageability through portable, modular components.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses compressed air guns to generate high-pressure gas pulses that move floats through water to impact test items. The pneumatic system provides precise control over shock waveform characteristics (peak acceleration, displacement, damping) by adjusting air pressure and duration, enabling accurate UNDEX simulation without complex mechanical infrastructure.
2Adaptability or versatility
If impact type machines are used, then the infrastructure is fixed, but the approximation to UNDEX shock waveform is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into separate portable modules: compressed air guns, water-filled tanks, floats, and impact tables. Each component can be independently transported and assembled at the test site, eliminating the need for fixed infrastructure while maintaining the ability to replicate various UNDEX shock environments through adjustable parameters.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates adjustable parameters including air pressure, float mass, water depth, and impact table positioning. These dynamic adjustments allow the same portable apparatus to replicate multiple different UNDEX shock environments (varying peak acceleration, displacement, damping) without requiring multiple fixed machines, enhancing versatility while maintaining portability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables accurate and flexible simulation of UNDEX shock waves, allowing for comprehensive testing of equipment and systems in various orientations, improving the assessment of robustness and resilience against mechanical shocks.
Implementation Method 1
The one or more airguns are seismic airguns, the firing of which causes a transient acoustic pulse or wave to propagate into the fluid held within the tank which affects motion of the at least one float in the direction of the impact table
Implementation Method 2
the float is movable within the tank to impact the impact table in response to the firing of the one or more airguns
Data Source
AI summary
A shock testing apparatus comprising:an impact table for supporting an object to be tested;a tank;at least one float;one or more airguns;wherein the at least one float is arranged to float upon a fluid held within the tank and is movable within the tank to impact the impact table in response to the firing of the one or more airguns.