Oberst beam
Overview
Mecanum’s Oberst beam test bench measures the damping loss factor and the Young’s or shear modulus of viscoelastic damping materials. Because damping efficiency depends strongly on temperature and frequency, the bench pairs with an optional climatic chamber to characterize materials across a wide range of both, from -40 to 130 °C and 5 to 5000 Hz. This gives engineers the full picture they need to match a damping solution to its intended application, in vehicle structures, panels, or building systems. It follows ASTM E756-05, ISO 6721, and SAE J1637.
Both WLF nomograms and 3D property surfaces
Viscoelastic properties depend heavily on both temperature and frequency. The Oberst beam software captures this behavior and presents it two complementary ways, so you can work in whichever format fits your needs.
The Williams-Landel-Ferry (WLF) nomogram gives you the standardized, widely recognized representation expected across the industry and by many clients.
The 3D property surface plots temperature, frequency, and the key property, Young’s or shear modulus and damping, on a single shape for an immediate, comprehensive read. Same measurement, two views: the reference format and the intuitive one.
Measuring range
Frequency
5 to 5000 Hz
Operating temperature
-40°C to 130°C
Damping and structural loss factor, Young’s and shear modulus
No limitations, depends on beam characteristics
Dimensions
Test bench
499 (L) x 290 (W) x 175 (H) mm
Beam length range
135 to 315 mm
Maximum sample height
30 mm
Measured properties
Young’s modulus (E) or shear modulus (G)
Damping loss factor (η)
ETA-X
Loss factor measurement is traditionally long and complicated. ETA-X puts decades of damping-measurement experience at your fingertips, guiding you from the beam measurement through advanced pre-processing to finished documentation in a clear workflow. Its semi-automatic analyzer mode saves significant time, and fully automated measurement lets you cover wide temperature ranges at high resolution, across up to three test benches, while you do something else. A broad set of visualization tools handles different standards and materials, a built-in nomogram generator supports ISO, WLF, and Arrhenius alpha functions, and a one-click Excel report compliant with ASTM E756 and SAE J1637 comes complete with built-in graphs.
Coming soon.
Automotive industry
Characterize damping treatments that cut structural noise, squeaks, and rattles across the temperatures a vehicle actually sees.
Aerospace industry
Measure the damping and modulus of viscoelastic materials used to control structural vibration in aircraft.
Material manufacturers
Test damping loss factor and modulus over temperature and frequency to qualify and datasheet viscoelastic products.
Building
Evaluate damping materials that improve panel insulation and reduce noise from plumbing and ventilation systems.
Laboratories
Measure damping and modulus from -40 to 130 °C and 5 to 5000 Hz for reliable, repeatable viscoelastic data and use nomograms to extrapolate higher frequencies.
Universities
Study viscoelastic behavior and the temperature-frequency dependence of damping with a standards-based bench.
Optional accessories, available with your Oberst beam or separately.
Climatic chamber
Damping materials are viscoelastic, so their performance shifts with temperature, sometimes dramatically. Measuring at room temperature alone tells only part of the story. The optional climatic chamber lets the Oberst beam characterize a material across its full operating window, so you see how it behaves at the temperatures it will actually meet in service, not just on the bench.
The chamber controls both temperature and humidity around the test beam, holding stable conditions while the measurement runs. Combined with the bench’s frequency sweep, this gives you damping loss factor and modulus as functions of both temperature and frequency, the complete data set needed to model viscoelastic behavior and to match a damping solution to its application.
Key points:
• Controlled temperature across the bench’s full operating range, from -40 to 130 °C.
• Humidity control for stable, repeatable test conditions.
• Integrates directly with the Oberst beam test bench.
• Pilots up to 3 test benches simultaneously.
• Enables temperature-frequency characterization and 3D property surfaces.