Design By Analysis

Background

Our customer designs and manufactures pneumatic valves and regulator assembly devices used in aerospace flight safety equipment.  One of the many steps in the device quality acceptance process involves confirming the force required for a person to manually deploy the device.  If during the testing of this device the force is not within an acceptable range, the device must be reworked.  Testing is done on all devices prior to shipping.

The Problem

Design an improved custom force testing machine to replace the current time consuming and costly manual means of testing.  The test machine must apply a specified force in the manner and range required to simulate actual in-flight operation of the device.  This test is needed to provide assurance that the device will perform its critical safety function as intended.

The Solution

The device to be tested is held firmly in place on a purchased test stand, using a custom assembly of plates and screws. A linkage consisting of purchased and custom parts screwed into the end of the existing piston spool and the stand mechanism is adjusted until the load cell and strain gage meter confirm that the forces applied on the working part precisely simulate the real-life pneumatic pressure.

The Result/Benefit

DBA’s customized, accurate solution was delivered in a shorter period of time and for less cost than a force test stand from a commercial OEM customized for this application could have been delivered.  DBA’s solution also drastically reduced the time and resulting cost to complete this test step in the overall quality acceptance testing required for the device.