Hottinger Bruel & Kjaer UK Ltd

A new Vibration Monitoring Terminal, Type 3680, has been unveiled by Brüel & Kjær.  The device enables users to protect against structural damage risks in construction and mining, assess human response to ground-borne vibration from road and rail traffic and monitor background vibration to ensure sensitive equipment operates correctly.

A series of practical and theory-based training courses will be staged this autumn by Bruel & Kjaer UK. The first session - Acoustic & Vibration Introduction for Design & Test Engineers - is a three-day course running from September 13 to 15. It provides industrial engineers with a thorough understanding of the basic concepts that are important for airborne and structure-borne noise - and vibration in machinery.

Brüel & Kjær is one of the key sponsors for the Acoustics 2016 conference, taking place in Chesford Grange, Warwickshire (September 5-6). Organised by the Institute of Acoustics (IOA), this two-day event is a series of lectures and presentations covering a range of topics such as building acoustics, environmental noise, measurement and instrumentation, noise and vibration engineering.

Now entering its 20th year, Brüel & Kjær’s sound and vibration conference brings professionals and experts together for a series of technical sessions and courses, combined with plenty of opportunities to network with experts and peers. The training sessions - running from September 13-15 at The Inn at St. John, Michigan, USA - cover a wide range of subjects, from introductions to acoustics and vibration, to more dedicated training on the company’s systems, like the PULSE data acquisition kit.

As ship-owners must ensure their vessels meet strict noise regulations, Tokai University initiated two projects intended to help engineers reduce and control noise on board during operation. The latest regulation - International Maritime Organization (IMO) noise level code on board ships, which became mandatory for new ships on July 1st, 2014 - is to protect seafarers against hearing loss, improve comfort levels and make aware the need to communicate with colleagues and hear alarms.

Brüel & Kjær Sound & Vibration Measurement has acquired its long-term partner, Sound & Vibration Technology to expand its Global Engineering Services team and capabilities. Sound & Vibration Technology is located at the Millbrook Proving Ground in Bedford, UK where it has a team of professionally qualified sound and vibration engineers.

Dassault Aviation has performed noise certification tests on their new Falcon 8X business jet, using an acoustic data acquisition and analysis system from Brüel & Kjær. Exterior aircraft noise certification tests are required by aviation regulators. The tests establish certified aircraft Effective Perceived Noise Levels (EPNLs) for each of the flight conditions: approach, flyover and sideline.

To speed up noise and vibration data analysis for industrial machinery and vehicle manufacturers, Brüel & Kjær has launched enhanced software for its Photon signal analyser - RT Pro 7.3.  The RT Pro 7.3 release provides enhanced Fast Fourier Transformation (FFT), signal analysis, 1/nth octave/acoustic analysis, modal data acquisition and swept sine measurements, making it ideal for testing acoustic and vibration in applications such as rotating machinery and automated production lines.

Microsoft has a vision to make its customer devices so effortless to use that they all but disappear and - since sound quality holds the key - the company built a series of anechoic chambers for testing, which include the quietest place in the world. As well as machines understanding humans, people also need to understand each other effortlessly if technology is to become an ‘invisible’ assistant.

French engineering student Raphaël Chevalier has developed a device that helps Olympic prone shooters improve their accuracy by up to 24%. Rifle shooting is a precise science where the combination of barrel and ammunition affects the bullet’s accuracy. This is mainly due to the gun’s ‘kick’, also known as recoil, as the bullet fires: transverse vibrations result from recoil forces in the rifle imparting on the back of the barrel.

A Noise Logger that enables users to confidently take unattended noise level measurements 24 hours a day has been announced by Bruel & Kjaer. The Noise Logger cost-effectively empowers organisations to demonstrate noise level compliance, resolve noise complaint investigations and gain approval for a planned change or an operational licence.

The industrial vibration test capabilities at Thales have been expanded with a new Bruel & Kjaer LDS V8 shaker.  Based at Thales Cryogenics in Eindhoven the V8 shaker enables the company to carry out vigorous vibration tests on its cryogenics coolers and lithium reserve batteries, to ensure the products can withstand harsh application use within sectors such as military, industrial, airborne and space.

The Measurement Partner Suite post-processing software and Type 2250 family of sound level meters from Bruel & Kjaer have been updated to make measuring sound and vibration easier for environmental consultants. Key enhancements include: support of ISO 1996:2007 measurement uncertainty, a turnkey solution for BS 4142:2014 users and an improved vibration measurement capabilities.

The global pump manufacturer Grundfos has enhanced its noise source identification capabilities, with a system based on a microphone array containing 108 microphones and optical camera in the middle. Based in Denmark, Grundfos’ state-of-the-art laboratory carries out sound measurements to ensure its pump units are quiet enough for domestic use and industrial demands - and to locate any potential causes of reliability issues.

A range of theoretical and practical classes are included in Bruel & Kjaer UK’s 2016 training courses which are now open for registration. The courses start in March, with the intensive two-day PULSE User Training. This specialist session covers both the basics and the more advanced features of Brüel & Kjær’s PULSE multi-analyser system.

A project to measure airport noise led to DELTA - one of the leading acoustical consultant companies in Denmark subscribing to Brüel & Kjær’s Noise Sentinel On Demand service. Making actual noise measurements and calculating how changes in air traffic affect the propagation of noise can be time consuming and expensive.

General Electric (GE) has joined leaders from four Danish companies to sign new collaboration agreements. GE is a key partner on the Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet platform, one of the entries in the Danish Fighter Replacement Program. The collaboration agreements outline the potential for GE to develop programs with Danish companies to establish long-term impact to the Danish aerospace industry.

Noise measurements on the Eurofighter jet to calculate its on-ground noise exposure under different thrust and flight configurations have been successfully completed by Airbus Defence and Space and Bruel & Kjaer.  The noise measurements were made by repeatedly flying the jet over a Brüel & Kjær data acquisition system collecting data from a 29m diameter array of microphones laid out on the ground.

Engineering services company, Sound Answers has been acquired by Brüel & Kjær Sound & Vibration Measurement A/S consolidating itself as solution and engineering services provider. The two companies have been strategic partners for nine years and boast a long track record of joint projects.  

A new family of robust triaxial accelerometers for vibration measurements in harsh industrial environments – the Type 4529 – has been developed by Bruel & Kjaer. Designed as a replacement for the company’s Type 4506 model, the Type 4529 family has a tougher design and wider frequency range.