Constant acceleration testing is used to verify that equipment can withstand sustained g-loads experienced during launch, manoeuvre, transport, crash, and operational environments. Resonate Testing supports qualification, certification, reliability, and customer acceptance programmes to MIL-STD-810 Method 513, RTCA/DO-160, MIL-STD-202, MIL-STD-883, SAE/USCAR-28, and bespoke customer specifications for clients throughout the UK, Ireland, and global markets
Resonate provides constant acceleration testing services for aerospace, defence, automotive, electronics and advanced engineering programmes. Our high-g testing support helps teams verify products and hardware against sustained acceleration loads, structural requirements and programme-specific qualification or acceptance criteria. Combined with vibration and shock testing services, it gives customers a practical route for planning coordinated mechanical test campaigns.
Constant acceleration testing exposes hardware to sustained high-g loading to assess structural integrity, mounting security and functional resilience under launch, flight, manoeuvre, transport or qualification load cases.
Why & How: This is to verify that a product can withstand sustained inertial loads caused by acceleration, deceleration, turning, launch, manoeuvring, or crash conditions. It reproduces constant high inertial-g loadings on items by accelerating in a circle by mounting them on a centerfuge.
Options: We have a range of Gantry sizes for different weights and acceleration ranges of UUT. of products. Since most standards require no more than a 10% variance along its length
Counterbalance: We require a counterbalance for the gantry, this can be a mass dummy or a second test item.at no additional cost.
Fixturing: because the g loading act only along the radial axis. Generally there is a fixturing cost associated with the tests to mount the UUT in all six axis.
Different from Max g load seen on shock testing. Unlike shock testing, which applies a brief transient load, constant acceleration applies a continuous g-load for a defined period of time. With sustained acceleration other factors come into play like deflection and creep, so shock testing has different applications to constant acceleration testing and one does not generally replace the other.
Structural qualification: Helps verify that PCB components, mechanical assemblies, and mounting brackets, fasteners and payload interfaces can withstand specified loads.
Product and hardware support: Supports aerospace, defence, automotive, electronics, mechanical assemblies, payloads and vehicle-mounted equipment.
Functional checks: Allows agreed electrical, telemetry or mechanism checks before and after acceleration exposure. Actuation / functional tests under acceleration is possible if the item is battery powered and the power an control can be mounted to the gantry.
Fixture and mounting review: Helps ensure the item is secured safely and loaded through the intended axis and interface.
Data Collection: Records of real time wireless G-level seen by UUT, and an unit data collected during the test and pre and post test images and observations.
Vibration Testing
Shock Testing
Environmental Testing
Humidity Testing
Corrosion Testing
Rain Testing and Water Ingress Testing
Sand and Dust Testing
Ready to plan your constant acceleration testing campaign? Send your requirement, acceleration level, load axis, specification or drawings for engineer review and receive guidance on fixturing, instrumentation, setup and programme readiness.
Successful constant acceleration testing begins with a clear understanding of the operational environment, qualification objectives, applicable standards, and required evidence. Defining these requirements at an early stage helps avoid unnecessary testing, reduces programme risk, and ensures that the generated test data is relevant to certification, customer approval, reliability assessment, or product qualification activities.
Before approaching a test laboratory, it is beneficial to gather key information about the item under test, including its mass properties, mounting arrangement, intended service environment, target acceleration levels, load axes, dwell times, functional monitoring requirements, and any applicable industry standards or customer specifications. This information forms the basis of an effective test plan and assists in determining the most appropriate acceleration profile, instrumentation strategy, and acceptance criteria.
Typical considerations when planning a constant acceleration test programme include:
For many aerospace, defence, automotive, electronics, and advanced engineering programmes, constant acceleration testing is most effective when considered alongside related environmental tests such as vibration, mechanical shock, crash safety, launch load, and transportation qualification testing. Integrating these activities into a structured validation programme can improve efficiency and reduce overall qualification costs.
Constant acceleration testing is rarely defined by a single sentence in a specification. Most programmes develop the test profile from mission objectives, customer requirements, spacecraft or equipment limits, launch-provider guidance and recognised industry standards such as MIL-STD-810 Method 513 Acceleration and RTCA DO-160 Section 7 operational shock and crash safety requirements.
The objective is not simply to apply a high-g load. The objective is to generate evidence that is relevant to the hardware, load path and acceptance process. Acceleration level, axis, duration, mounting configuration, functional state, instrumentation and reporting requirements should therefore be reviewed before testing begins.
Requirements may define qualification and acceptance factors, positive and negative axes, operating or non-operating conditions, pass/fail criteria and required evidence. MIL-STD-810 acceleration procedures are commonly used to assess whether materiel can structurally and functionally withstand service acceleration loads. DO-160 Section 7 is commonly referenced for airborne equipment, including sustained or crash safety acceleration conditions where applicable.
Early review of applicable standards can reduce rework, improve traceability and help ensure the resulting test evidence aligns with stakeholder expectations.
| Standard / Guidance | Primary Focus | Typical Relevance to Testing |
|---|---|---|
| MIL-STD-202 Method 212A | Electronic and electrical component parts | Referenced for constant acceleration testing of electronic and electrical component parts where the product or programme specification calls for this method. |
| MIL-STD-810 Method 513 | Equipment, assemblies and military materiel | Used to assess whether equipment can withstand steady-state acceleration loads expected during service, transport, launch, flight, manoeuvre or moving-vehicle environments. |
| MIL-STD-883 Method 2011.1 | Microelectronic devices and hybrid microcircuits | Referenced for microelectronic devices and related components where constant acceleration testing is required by the controlling specification. |
| RTCA/DO-160 Section 7 | Airborne equipment | Commonly referenced for airborne equipment operational shock and crash safety, including sustained or continuous acceleration conditions where applicable. |
| SAE/USCAR-28 | Automotive electrical connectors | Referenced for automotive electrical connection systems and vehicle-related environments where sustained acceleration performance needs to be verified. |
| Customer specifications | Customer-defined requirements | Acceleration level, axis, duration, tolerance, operating state, acceptance criteria, monitoring requirements and reporting expectations. |
| Test method considerations | Test configuration and parameters | Constant acceleration testing is commonly planned around a target g level, loading direction, dwell duration, mounting method, operating state and post-test inspection or functional verification. |
MIL-STD-810 Method 513 Acceleration is often used when equipment needs to demonstrate that it can withstand steady acceleration loads associated with service use, transport, launch, manoeuvre or emergency conditions. The profile is normally tailored to the item, platform and programme requirement.
RTCA DO-160 Section 7 is commonly referenced for airborne equipment operational shock and crash safety, including sustained or continuous acceleration requirements where applicable. Test planning should confirm the required axes, g levels, duration, operating state, functional checks, pass/fail criteria and reporting expectations before testing begins.
Constant acceleration is often described as sustained, continuous or steady-state acceleration. The test may be used to check whether parts, assemblies or finished equipment can tolerate high-g loading without structural damage, loose hardware, cracked solder joints, connector movement or functional degradation.
Planning typically considers whether the item is tested powered or unpowered, the required positive and negative axes, the dwell time at each load level, fixture stiffness, centre of gravity, cable restraint and inspection requirements before and after exposure. The applicable requirement should still be confirmed against the controlling standard or customer specification.
Resonate Testing provides engineer-led constant acceleration testing for aerospace, defence, automotive, electronics, batteries, and advanced engineering applications across the UK and Ireland. Programmes can include high-g loading, structural verification, axis-specific qualification, functional monitoring, and compliance testing to recognised industry standards and customer-defined requirements.
Our centrifuge facility incorporates multiple gantry configurations to accommodate different test item masses, dimensions, and geometries. This is particularly important where standards require acceleration variation across the test article to remain within defined tolerances, often ±10%. Larger or longer test items may require a greater centrifuge radius to achieve the required acceleration uniformity, making centrifuge size and test article positioning key factors in successful qualification testing.
Monitoring and verification may include control accelerometers, customer telemetry, electrical interfaces performance, functional checks, pre-test inspection and post-test observations. Acceleration level, tolerance, axis, dwell duration, abort criteria and mounting conditions should be reviewed before the campaign begins.
Plan: Review the requirement, acceleration level, axis, duration, standards, acceptance criteria, safety considerations and success measures.
Prepare: Confirm fixtures, axis orientation, instrumentation, telemetry and functional checks.
Mount and instrument: Install the hardware, connect agreed channels and verify the setup before loading.
Apply load: Run the agreed acceleration profile, including ramp, dwell and return-to-zero stages where applicable.
Repeat orientations: Test each agreed axis or mounting orientation required by the programme.
Functional checks: Power or operate the hardware at defined points when this is part of the agreed plan.
Review and report: Check achieved acceleration, observations, plots, photographs and agreed outputs.
Hardware dimensions, drawings and keep-out zones
Mass, handling constraints and fixture requirements
Target acceleration level and tolerance
Required load axis or axes and applicable standard
Ramp rates, dwell times and required orientations
Power, signal, RF, data or cable routing requirements
Telemetry channels and functional checks during test
Battery, pressure vessel, hazardous material or stored-energy safety information
Centre of gravity, mounting interface and load path details
Reporting, photographic evidence and witness requirements
A high-g load is an inertial load expressed as a multiple of standard gravitational acceleration. In constant acceleration testing, the test article is held at the specified g level for a defined period to assess its structure, mounting interfaces and functional resilience.
The load axis is the direction in which acceleration acts through the test article. A programme may require positive and negative loading in several axes, with the hardware reoriented so each specified direction is applied through the intended mounting interface.
A test fixture is the structure that secures the test article to the centrifuge gantry and transfers the acceleration load through the intended interfaces. Its stiffness, fasteners, geometry, load path and orientation must be suitable for the required g level and axis.
Mass properties describe the test article’s mass, centre of gravity and, where relevant, how its mass is distributed. They affect fixture design, centrifuge balance, load paths, test positioning and safety planning.
Instrumentation is the measurement and monitoring equipment used to verify the test. It may include control accelerometers, wireless acceleration measurement, customer telemetry, electrical interfaces and agreed functional checks before, during or after loading.
MIL-STD-810 Method 513 addresses acceleration testing used to assess whether materiel can structurally and functionally withstand steady acceleration loads associated with service, transport, launch, flight, manoeuvre or emergency conditions. The test profile is tailored to the item, platform and programme requirement.
RTCA DO-160 Section 7 covers operational shock and crash-safety testing for airborne equipment, including sustained or continuous acceleration conditions where applicable. Planning confirms the required axes, g levels, duration, operating state, checks and acceptance criteria.
Constant acceleration testing places sustained load through the test article, its fixture and its mounting interfaces. Fixture stiffness, fastener selection, load path, centre of gravity, cable routing and instrumentation access should be reviewed early.
Safety considerations may include stored energy, batteries, pressurised items, fragile appendages, deployables, hazardous materials or components that could loosen under load. These details should be shared before quotation so the test method, orientation and monitoring approach can be planned realistically.
Products and mission-critical hardware often need more than one mechanical environmental test. Coordinating constant acceleration, vibration and shock within one campaign, at one test location, helps reduce handover friction, align fixtures and documentation, and keep the engineering review connected across the full programme.
For projects that also need mechanical environmental testing, review the related vibration and shock services before finalising the campaign sequence.
Fast, Flexible, Accessible
Outputs are agreed before comencment of test so the evidence matches the programme need. A typical package may include:
Recorded acceleration, timing and agreed telemetry data
Plots showing the achieved profile, ramp periods, dwell points and load axes
Observations from setup, test execution and post-test review
Photographic evidence where agreed
Confirmation of functional checks completed before, during or after loading where agreed
An agreed test report or data pack aligned to the quotation scope
Book high-g testing for aerospace systems, defence equipment, automotive components, electronics, payloads and mechanical assemblies. Use the contact route to share the requirement, acceleration level, load axis, drawings or specification for review.
Whether you’re looking to contact us for the first time or have another testing requirement, we’d love to hear from you.
