Impact and vibration Testing

Hey Guys,

Check out some of the below tests that Odyssey batteries go through. The results are very interesting.



Random fact: Did you know that Enersys the parent company also supplies and uses the same Odyssey technology for their US military army batteries!


(A) MIL S-901C shock, high impact test
This is a test specified by the US Navy to determine suitability of equipment for installation on warships.
A 26Ah battery (equivalent to thePC925 but without the metal jacket) was installed in an UPS system aboard a Navy MHC51-class coastal mine hunter.

The test is designed to simulate the shock generated by a 16" naval gun and a depth charge going off simultaneously. Testing is performed by hitting the UPS, while in operation, with a 2,500 lb. hammer from varying distances. After several such impacts the battery system was load tested.

The 26Ah battery passed the test without metal jackets. Equipping the ODYSSEY batteries with metal jackets will only increase their ability to withstand tough shock and impact situations that may be encountered in automotive applications.

( B ) MIL S-167-1 for mechanical vibrations
ODYSSEY batteries were subjected to three classes of vibration - exploratory vibration, variable frequency and endurance test.

Exploratory vibration test
The UPS unit containing the battery was vibrated from 5Hz to 33Hz at a table vibratory single amplitude of 0.010 ? 0.002 in., in discrete frequency intervals of 1Hz. Vibration at each frequency was maintained for 15 seconds.

Variable frequency test
The UPS unit was vibrated from 5Hz to 33Hz at 1Hz intervals at different amplitudes. At each frequency, the vibration was maintained for 5 minutes.

Endurance test
The test was conducted at 33Hz for two hours in the x and y axes at a table vibratory double amplitude of 0.010 ? 0.002 in. The z-axis endurance test was conducted at 33Hz for two hours at a table vibratory single amplitude of 0.020 ? 0.004 inches.

(C) Ford? vehicle vibration test
Two batteries, equivalent to the PC925 and PC1200, were mounted in a special fixture and tested per the following
parameters:




None of the four batteries showed noticeable failures at the end of the test.


(D) Three axis vibration test
This test was conducted by an independent test facility. Two batteries, equivalent to the PC925 and PC1200, were mounted in a special fixture and tested in the following manner:




Once again, none of the four batteries showed any noticeable failures at the end of this test. Summarizing based on tests described in this section, there is little doubt about the ability of the ODYSSEY Drycell? battery to withstand substantial levels of mechanical abuse. This is a very desirable feature in SLI batteries.

(E) Caterpillar 100-hour vibration test
In this test, a fully charged battery was vibrated at 34?1Hz and 1.9 mm (0.075?) total amplitude in a vertical direction, corresponding to an acceleration of 4.4g. The test was conducted for a total of 100 hours. The battery is considered to have passed the test if

(a) it does not lose any electrolyte, (B) it is able to support a load test and (c) it does not leak when subjected to a pressure test.

The ODYSSEY battery successfully completed this arduous test.

(F) Shock and vibration test per IEC 61373, Sections 8-10
An independent test laboratory tested an ODYSSEY PC2150 battery for compliance to IEC standard 61373, Category 1, Class B, and Sections 8 through 10. Section 8 calls for a functional random vibration test, Section 9 requires a long-life random vibration test and Section 10 is for a shock test.

Table 3 summarizes the test results.




John.