PolyLab
Educational program designed to empower today’s students with state-of-the-art tools for vibration measurement
The easy way to teach students non-contact vibration measurement technology
Education has an important role in society. Polytec supports the positive impact education has on future generations and is proud to offer this program. PolyLab was designed to empower today’s students with the state-of-the-art tools for vibration measurement. Our goal is to educate students and provide educational institutions, such as schools, colleges and universities, the ability to enhance classes and labs by using the latest metrology techniques at no cost.
What is PolyLab
PolyLab is a turn-key educational program that covers concepts such as vibration testing and modal parameters (natural frequency, damping, and mode shapes) and is accessible to students as an experimental framework. We will ship multiple test stations to your facility, each containing a portable VibroGo® vibrometer, test objects and a lab tutorial with exciting experiments and relevant content. Students will enjoy working with the VibroGo® as it is easy to use and offers the possibility for fully digital non-contact vibration measurement, as well as analog data acquisition for visualization of transfer functions and much more.
What is in the PolyLab kit
- The portable laser Doppler vibrometer VibroGo®, which measures real vibration behavior, acoustics and dynamics of excited structures in a non-contact and flexible way with a wide frequency bandwidth from DC to 100 kHz.
- Demonstrative experiments and practical tests in a detailed script for teaching vibration tests and measuring parameters such as resonance frequency, damping and deflection.
- Options for analog and digital data acquisition and analysis with Polytec VibSoft software.
- Additional: Support from our Polytec experts, including lectures showing the use of Laser Doppler vibrometer technology to solve important engineering tasks. In addition, practical examples of how the technology is used for a variety of applications (aerospace, microstructures, electronics, biomedical, ultrasound, etc...).
California State University
"Polytec's Laser Doppler Vibrometer PDV-100 was used by CSUN's Mechanical Engineering graduate students to perform experimental modal analyses on different laminated composite structures manufactured at CSUN's composites laboratory. Students were able to quickly run the tests and use the VibSoft software to obtain important structural parameters from the measurements. Students used the experimental data to update their computational models. All participating students reported that the LDV is very easy to use and the software is straight-forward. Students really enjoyed this hands-on project. Thank you so much Polytec! It was a nice learning experience."
Dr. Peter L. Bishay, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering, California State University, Northridge
Kettering University
"Kettering University physics and engineering students used the Polytec PDV-100 portable laser Doppler vibrometer kits as part of a unit on vibration and modal testing in our senior-level Acoustical Testing and Modeling course. Students were able to learn about the basic physics behind laser Doppler vibrometry, measure the vibrational modes of a cantilever beam, and compare measurements made using vibrometers with those made by accelerometers. We were also able to take measurements on vibrating objects that are hard to measure with accelerometers including a speaker cone and a guitar string. The availability of the portable laser vibrometers added a dimension to the course that we did not have previously and gives the students exposure to another technology useful in vibration studies."
Dr. Ronald E. Kumon, Associate Professor, Department of Physics, Kettering University
North Dakota State University
Mechanical engineering students from two courses at NDSU were brought together to perform structural dynamic analysis of a beam using the Laser Doppler Vibrometer (LDV) from Polytec's University Program (UP). They were able to calculate Young's modulus and second moment of inertia of the cross section. Students were also able to calibrate the piezoelectric accelerometers and compare their calibration results to those recommended by the respective manufacturers. In both cases, students were amazed on how their experimental results agreed with expected theoretical results, which is highly credited to the accuracy offered by this LDV unit. We really thank Polytec for allowing us to use the UP units in our labs as it has tremendously enhanced our course delivery.
Dr. Annie Tangpong, Associate Professor of Mechanical Vibrations and Dr. Majura Selekwa, Associate Professor of Engineering Measurements, Department of Mechanical Engineering, North Dakota State University
Stanford University
Stanford University’s Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA) used a Polytec Portable Digital Vibrometer (PDV-100) to study the acoustics of musical instruments. The vibrometer allowed researchers to capture the vibrational characteristics of individual acoustic and electric guitars. The vibration measurements serve as the basis for computational models which are used to study the acoustics of the instruments as well as to produce sound synthesis for music making.
The study was led by Chris Chafe, Director of CCRMA at Stanford University.