Overview
ISO 8568:2007 - Mechanical shock - Testing machines - Characteristics and performance defines performance parameters, inspection methods and specification guidance for mechanical shock‑testing machines. It ensures potential users receive an adequate description of a machine’s capabilities and supports selection of appropriate equipment for reproducing service‑representative shock conditions or for diagnostic testing. The standard applies to shock testers used to reveal mechanical weakness, degradation or structural integrity issues; it excludes machines intended for earthquake, sonic‑boom, explosion/implosion, bursting, metalworking or forming simulations.
Key topics and technical requirements
ISO 8568:2007 covers both functional characteristics and measurable performance parameters. Major topics include:
- Machine classification and operation principles
- Free‑fall, accelerated tables, gas guns, hydraulic/pneumatic and electrodynamic/servo‑hydraulic devices
- Pulse generation by pulse‑shaping devices or by control of shock‑response spectra (SRS)
- Core machine components
- Table/carriage, guides, hoisting/preload systems, release mechanisms, reaction mass, pulse‑shapers, braking systems, control and measurement systems
- Performance and specification parameters that manufacturers should provide:
- Available pulse shapes, maximum velocity change and displacement
- Range of reproducible peak accelerations vs. pulse duration
- Pre‑pulse/post‑pulse accelerations, minimum pulse duration
- Frequency range for wavelets, SRS flatness (octave resolution), maximum drop height, tare and total moving mass
- Natural frequencies (table and machine‑foundation), mounting and specimen limits, environmental operating ranges
- Inspection and testing methods
- Procedures for preparation and operational inspection, measurement of uniformity of acceleration and transverse motion (normative annexes)
- Supportive guidance
- Annexes on pulse‑shaping devices (A), SRS synthesis and analysis (B), use of vibration generators for shocks (C), measurement methods (D, E)
Applications and users
ISO 8568 is relevant for:
- Test laboratories and certification bodies that perform mechanical shock testing
- Manufacturers and suppliers of shock‑testing machines (to define and declare performance)
- Design, quality‑assurance and reliability engineers who need to select equipment for:
- Revealing mechanical weaknesses or performance degradation
- Structural integrity verification and production quality control
- R&D groups developing components expected to withstand operational shock environments
Practical uses include reproducing classical shock pulses (half‑sine, trapezoidal, saw‑tooth), synthesizing shock‑response spectra, and defining machine capability limits (velocity, displacement, SRS conformity).
Related standards
ISO 8568 references and complements other standards:
- ISO 2041, ISO 15261 (vibration and shock vocabulary)
- ISO 16063, ISO 5347/5348 (transducer and mounting calibration)
- IEC 60068 series (environmental testing - shock tests and SRS synthesis)
Keywords: ISO 8568:2007, mechanical shock, shock‑testing machines, pulse‑shaping, shock‑response spectrum, shock testing, machine performance, inspection methods.
