Modal News

Cincinnati, OH - January 9, 2013 - Rapidly becoming the most popular portable vibration exciter testing solution for university test laboratories and benchtop vibration studies, The Modal Shop's SmartShaker™ sets a new standard for flexibility and usability in miniature shakers by integrating the amplifier into the bottom of the shaker. Two prestigious American universities are using The Modal Shop's SmartShaker™ (model K2007E01) to enable important research.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is using an array of SmartShakers™ in its Elasticity, Geometry and Statistics (EGS) Lab to test the mechanics of thin objects and structures, including rods, plates and shells. "We use The Modal Shop's shakers to explore the coupling of the elasticity of thin objects with other phenomena, including friction and dynamic effects. A simple example is in the snaking of a common household drain: The drain snake is a thin rod (modeled as an elastic structure) and to reach further, we test different vibration schemes with Modal Shop shakers," says Professor Pedro M. Reis, Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at MIT.

Taking a different approach in SmartShaker™ applications, Ohio University's Department of Biological Sciences is using the product on human beings. Lyn Bowman, Research Assistant Professor under Professor of Biological Sciences Anne Loucks, explains that his department is using the SmartShaker™ for Mechanical Response Tissue Analysis (MRTA), a quick radiation-free, non-invasive direct functional method for measuring bone strength in humans. His research group is focusing on the ulna, the long bone on the little finger side of the forearm.

"We are measuring how much force it takes to break the ulna. We start by using the SmartShaker™ to create vibrations in metal and ceramic rods, as we already have the data for these. Then we move on to cadaver arms and finally live human arms. We will use the shaker to apply oscillating force to bone through the skin. Then we measure the vibration amplitude of a 1 cm² force probe that we put on the arm and directly on the piston of the SmartShaker™," says Bowman.       

Ohio University looked to The Modal Shop for its vibration excitation solution because of the company's Total Customer Satisfaction money-back guarantee. "This removed a great deal of anxiety from our purchase. If the products didn't meet our needs, The Modal Shop would refund our money and suggest replacement products that might be a better fit," added Bowman.

All shaker systems available from The Modal Shop are backed by the PCB Group Total Customer Satisfaction Guarantee which states that for a one-year period following the delivery date of any PCB Group product, the company will refund 100% of the customer's purchase price paid for any such product if the original purchaser is not completely satisfied.

About The Modal Shop 
Based out of Cincinnati, OH, The Modal Shop, is a PCB Group Company that manufactures electrodynamic shaker structural test products, calibration systems and non-destructive testing systems for a variety of industries from national test labs to the industrial floor. For a complete list of our shaker products as well as accompanying datasheets and spec sheets, visit our shaker family webpage at www.modalshop.com/excitation.