We’ve also greatly expanded Vipac’s environmental testing service offering, now housing three new electrodynamic shakers, two hydraulic shakers, four shock machines and more across our Melbourne and Sydney labs. We’re one of the very few in Australia to offer a full suite of vibration and shock testing at both locations, cementing Vipac’s position as an industry leader.

Vibration, shock and drop testing

Electrodynamic shakers:

• Load range: Testing in 3 axes with shakers rated up to 60kN
• Maximum displacement: 76mm peak to peak
• Our range of vibration controllers enable us to carry out all types of vibration tests, including:
  • sine vibration
  • random vibration
  • sine-on-random (sor)
  • random-on-random (ror)
  • resonance track & dwell
  • classical shock
  • shock response spectra (srs) testing

Hydraulic shakers:

• Load range: Up to 60kN
• Payload capacity: > 2 tonnes in sine, random and mixed-mode vibration
• Displacement: 150mm peak to peak

Shock, impact and bump testing:

• Vertical-drop shock machines: Sizes of payloads up to 1,200 x 1,200mm
• 15° incline shock machine: Size of payloads up to 2,000 x 2,000mm
• Lightweight shock machine (test standard MIL-STD 901D)
• Drop | Bounce Testing for packaging and transport of equipment

 

Temperature and humidity testing

Vipac has a large number of climatic chambers throughout laboratories in Melbourne and Sydney.

• Temperature range: -70°C to +180°C
• Ramp rates: Up to 6°C/min
• Relative humidity: 0 to 99%RH
• Small-scale to large walk-in test chambers

Given this wide range, there are very few climatic conditions our test chambers can't simulate.

 

Water and dust ingress protection testing

IP testing to IEC 60529 ingress protection is used to:

• determine equipment and enclosures’ ability to resist the ingress of foreign matter (solid and liquid)
• ensure that human exposure to dangerous parts is prevented

Read more about our IP testing capabilities in our electrical safety testing services offering.

 

Sand and dust testing

Maximum size: 250 x 250 x 250mm

Assessing the ability of materials to be stored and operated without degrading their performance, reliability and maintainability due to abrasion or clogging of larger, sharp-edged particles.

Blowing sand and dust testing is one of the available test methods covered by MIL-STD-810G.

 

Salt corrosion and fog testing

Our salt spray chambers carry out a range of salt fog tests, including:

• MIL-STD 810 method 509 salt fog
• ASTM B117 salt fog
• IEC 60068.2.11 salt mist

This testing is ideal for:

• marine equipment
• comparative testing
• material evaluation
• coatings / surface finishing procedures on hardware

 

Altitude testing

Involves placing equipment in a chamber and lowering the pressure to simulate
altitude, helping:

• aerospace industry
• transportation sector: Many testing protocols require verification of operation and performance after airfreight, which can be carried out in our barometric test chambers.

 

Custom test rig design (including for fatigue, load, and tensile and compression load testing)

Through Vipac’s mechanical fatigue testing system, we can perform multi-axis, high-load, high-cycle fatigue testing of mechanical components, with cyclic loads up to 25 tonnes.

Using hydraulic, pneumatic and electric hardware, along with a range of control systems and instrumentation, we can design, manufacture and commission custom test rigs to perform any fatigue, strength or endurance testing requirements.

 

Specifications for our mechanical fatigue testing system:

• Single- or dual-axis loading
• Tension and compression
  • Using a controlled loading rate allows us to assess the performance of roofing products, load-bearing brackets, and machinery-holding equipment
• Force control or displacement control
• Maximum force: 25 tonnes
• Maximum displacement: 200 mm
• Steady-state tests (proof load, ultimate load)
• Cyclic tests (fatigue/durability)
• Sine, sawtooth or user-defined waveforms
• Frequency: up to 10 Hz
• Real-time force and displacement measurement
• Strain-gauging for stress/strain measurement
• Inhouse design and manufacture of fixtures, jigs and adaptors

 

Applications for our mechanical fatigue testing system:
Covering the automotive, rail, defence, oil and gas, and civil infrastructure sectors, we can test:

• vehicle components such as towbars, tow balls, drawbars, couplings, kingpins, and safety chains (ADR 62/02 testing authorised by the Department of Infrastructure)
• chassis/frames
• bull bar/bumper bars
• roll bars/sports bars
• suspension components
• modified axles
• pipeline connections
• highway structures (signs, lighting)

 

ADR testing (including towbar testing)
The Australian Road Vehicle Standards Act (RVSA) 2018 replaces the Motor Vehicle Standards Act (MVSA) 1989, and requires testing as proof that vehicles satisfy the Australian Design Rules (ADRs).

Vipac is an approved testing facility with the Department of Infrastructure, and can assist with testing to satisfy the ADRs as part of the Vehicle Type Approval or Concessional RAV (Register of Approved Vehicles) pathways. We have capabilities for heavy fatigue tests on vehicle components and assemblies such as towbars, door handles, pedals, and any other component undergoing heavy or repetitive force/strain.

 

High-pressure hydrostatic testing facilities

These brand-new facilities allow for internal and external hydrostatic pressure tests exceeding 500Bar. Long-term cyclic pressure testing can also be realised with these systems.

Hydrostatic pressure testing is a frequently deployed type of pressure test used to assess the performance of equipment designed to hold pressure, such as pipework, accumulators and valves. By applying controlled pressures to the item under test, we can assess the integrity of the external body of the equipment itself, as well as the performance of any associate seals, ports and valves.

Equipment can also be subjected to external pressure, simulating the effect of being submerged at various depths underwater.

Both testing options can be carried out either statically for relatively short single tests, or the test pressure can be cycled up and down over an extended duration.

 

Packaging testing

Vipac provides package testing service to assess the durability and strength of packaging and products during transport.

Because we’re a member of the International Safe Transit Association, ISTA testing (including Amazon package testing, also known as ISTA 6-Amazon.com testing) is available through Vipac. We also test to IEC, ISO 11607 and ASTM D4169 standards, or to company-specific norms, in addition to ISTA packaging standards.

Vipac’s engineers replicate environmental influences normally at play during transit and storage, under controlled settings, in our state-of-the-art labs to test. Our packaging-testing methods include:

• climate conditioning
• drop and shock testing
• compressive resistance testing
• concentrated impact testing
• low-pressure (high-altitude) testing
• random vibration testing
• loose-load vibration testing

Our team can also design and build new test equipment if a client requires a specific method to be used, or a specific test to be conducted.

Standards we are accredited to

Vipac's environmental testing laboratories are all accredited to the ISO/IEC 17025 Testing and calibration laboratories technical competency standard, by NATA and A2LA.  Our accreditation scope includes a broad range of Australian and international, commercial and military standards relating to shock, vibration, temperature, humidity, corrosion, altitude, and other environmental tests.

• • BS EN 50125-3:2003 Sections 4.3, 4.4, 4.13;
  • BS EN 50155:2007 Sections 4.1.1, 4.1.2, 4.1.3, 12.2.3, 12.2.4, 12.2.5, 12.2.12, 12.2.13, 12.2.14;
  • IEC 61373:2010;
  • AS IEC 60068 Sections 2.1, 2.2, 2.6, 2.13,  2.14, 2.27, 2.29, 2.30, 2.31, 2.32, 2.64, 2.78;
  • MIL-STD-810 E,F Methods 501.4, 502.4, 507.4, 514.5, 516.5;
  • MIL-STD-810 G Methods 501.5, 502.5, 507.5, 514.6, 516.6;
  • MIL-STD 810 H Methods 501.7, 502.7, 507.6, 514.8, 516.8;
  • MIL_STD-167-1A Type I;
  • AS/IEC 60529;
  • DEF STAN 00-35:2006, 2017 Tests CL1, CL2, CL4, CL5, CL6, M1, M3, M4, M5, M12;
  • ISTA 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B.

Our environmental testing laboratories are staffed by experienced mechanical, aerospace, electrical and chemical engineers, who can provide consulting advice on a testing scope for your project that suits your needs.