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IMAC Conference 2020

19 February 2020

Last week, vibration analysts and test engineers from around the world gathered in Houston for the 38th edition of the International Modal Analysis Conference (IMAC). This year VIBES’ Maarten van der Seijs and Julie Harvie, IMAC veterans, attended the conference to share their research on source characterization and plan the future conference themes.

IMAC unites engineers from academia, government, industry and equipment vendors to share results from their cutting-edge research in structural and acoustic dynamics. Over the past several years, VIBES has had a strong presence at the conference, and this year was no different.

Dynamic substructuring, one of VIBES’ key methodologies, has emerged as a prevalent topic at IMAC over the past decade. TPA and source characterization have also gained popularity over the most recent years, in part due to Maarten’s involvement in the conference and coordination of sessions on these topics. This year Maarten chaired a session on transfer path analysis and vehicle NVH, where he was able to share some recent developments in blocked force characterization as well as learn about the findings from other researchers in the community. Maarten’s involvement in the Substructuring Technical Division was further recognized through his election as a board member of the group.

Session of Maarten van der Seijs

Presentation of Julie Harvie

Julie’s involvement in the conference stems more from her previous role doing shock and vibration qualification testing and analysis of aerospace components. Through that position, she co-founded and is now vice-chair of the Dynamic Environments Testing Focus Group. This year, Julie combined her experiences by organizing and chairing a session on Substructuring in Dynamic Environments Testing. She also showcased some of the innovative techniques being used at VIBES for source characterization through a presentation on the topic. Additionally, Julie’s position as an IMAC advisory board member kept her especially busy planning the outlook for future conferences and answering questions as a panelist on engineering career advice.

Aside from our own presentations, there were many discussions, presentations and exhibits on topics closely related to our methodology. From experimental techniques to uncertainty propagation, this conference provided a wealth of information that will be integrated into our products and solutions. We were also able to strengthen relationships and make new connections with researchers and potential customers across different industries. Overall it was another great conference and we look forward to being back in Orlando next year. Happy IMAC!

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