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Microvibration testing and characterization facility
The term "microvibration" refers to mechanical vibrations with amplitudes and frequencies that impact the correct operation of surrounding susceptible systems.
Microvibrations pose significant challenges in various fields, particularly in space and aerospace, where mission-critical operations demand exceptional mechanical stability. Understanding, measuring, and mitigating microvibrations is essential to ensure the reliable operation of high-precision mechanisms and scientific instruments.
The importance of microvibration testing
Through dedicated testing and characterization, engineers can detect, measure, and isolate these disturbances. Microvibration testing enables teams to qualify components, optimize mechanical designs, and implement active or passive isolation solutions, ensuring that the spacecraft performs reliably under the dynamic conditions of space.
By performing microvibration analysis, engineers can ensure that scientific instruments, optical systems, and other critical payloads maintain their intended performance, even under challenging conditions.
Microvibration measurement, characterization, and analysis
CSEM’s dedicated microvibration testing facility provides a wide variety of services for:
- Exported microvibration characterization (generated by an actuator or mechanism)
- Microvibration susceptibility characterization (effects of external vibrations on a vibration-sensitive device, evaluating its susceptibility under controlled conditions)
- Vibration isolation and damping solutions (passive, active, semi-active, or hybrid).
These services help clients understand, quantify, and reduce microvibration effects through design modifications or isolation strategies.
Exported microvibration measurement
Closeup of piezoelectric force sensor as part of the six degree-of-freedom multicomponent dynamometer.
The exported microvibration characterization setup consists of a custom-designed multicomponent dynamometer built with:
- Four high-sensitivity, three-component piezoelectric force sensors capable of measuring in the millinewton (mN) range,
- Significant structural stiffness, with its first eigenmode above 2 kHz, and
- Low-noise signal conditioning and high-resolution acquisition system.
System configuration
The dynamometer is mounted on top of a granite seismic mass, supported by four pneumatic isolators. This shields the setup from building vibrations that could contaminate measurements. The sensor array is positioned between two plates—a lower plate interfacing the dynamometer with the granite table and an upper plate designed to support various test components. Two different upper plate sizes are available depending on payload geometry.
👉 Download the technical datasheet of our exported microvibration testing setup, including sensor characteristics, mounting configurations, and system performance.
Microvibration susceptibility testing
Microvibration characterization facility for susceptibility configuration with payload and modal shaker for excitation of the suspended plate.
The second-generation microvibration susceptibility test system is designed to assess how susceptible devices respond to external vibrational disturbances. The setup features a granite seismic base supported by four pneumatic isolators. A cage surrounds the setup, supporting a suspended platform where the device under test is mounted.
The design is optimized to improve performance by minimizing transmission of environmental noise and building vibrations to the test system and decoupling the test setup from surrounding disturbances to ensure high-fidelity measurements.
Key features include:
- External injection of controlled vibration spectra into the system via a shaker system
- Integrated co-localized force sensors and accelerometers for accurate response measurements.
- Amplitude vibration control ensuring peak deviations remain under 10% of the target spectra, with an average RMS error below 1%.
Multiple accelerometer options are available to cover a wide frequency range and amplitude.
This setup enables the validation of a device's performance under microvibration conditions representative of space environments.
👉 Download the technical datasheet for our susceptibility test platform, optimized for validating susceptible components under microvibration environment.
Active and passive microvibration damping and isolation
Hybrid active-passive microvibration damping platform MIVIDA developed at CSEM to demonstrate closed-loop disturbance rejection for the stabilization of vibration-sensitive payloads.
CSEM develops custom active, semi-active, and passive solutions for the isolation of components generating or susceptible to microvibrations. For applications with stringent stability requirements, passive isolation alone may be insufficient—requiring active technologies to achieve the targeted performance.
An example is MIVIDA, a hybrid (active and passive) microvibration isolation system developed at CSEM to
- Isolate sensitive optical payloads from external microvibration sources.
- Actively reject accelerations at payload level.
- Mitigate self-induced perturbations emitted by the payload itself.
Read more on IEEE Transactions on Control Systems Technology - Data-Driven LPV Control for Harmonic Disturbance Rejection in a Hybrid Isolation Platform (this paper isn’t accessible for free, subscription is needed).
Microvibration assessment, modelling, and consulting services
CSEM supports space and aerospace clients through:
- Source identification of microvibrations in complex mechanisms
- Transmission path modelling using multiphysics tools
- Impact assessment on payloads and instruments
- Design recommendations to minimize microvibration coupling
- Simulation and verification of mitigation strategies
The microvibration test setup was developed in collaboration with ESA under its Technology Development Element (TDE) program to enhance prediction and verification methods for modeling microvibrations. Learn more on ESA’s official page: Microvibration_Test_Setup.
All about microvibration testing: Frequently asked questions
What is microvibration testing?
Why is microvibration testing critical for high-precision missions?
Why is testing for microvibrations important in space missions?
What are the main sources of microvibration on spacecraft?
What testing standards or protocols do you follow?
Can you simulate microvibration effects before hardware testing?
Do you offer support for active isolation system design?
Still have questions about microvibration testing or design impacts?
Get in touch with our specialists — we’re happy to help you evaluate your mission requirements