Concept Verification & Design Verification (Compliance & Certification Support)
De-risk the design early and build verification evidence that stands up to review
If your concept is “promising but uncertain”, we turn uncertainty into a verification plan + evidence pack.
We prove the governing physics early, correlate modelling to measurement, and de-risk the design before
tooling, suppliers, and formal qualification lock in cost and schedule.
Prepared by: Paul Schmitz MBA CEng MIMechE MIoA — Director, Environmentally Sound Limited
Professional Indemnity Insurance: £5,000,000 (evidence available on request)
Note: We are not a test house or certification body. We support certification by delivering engineering readiness and evidence;
certification decisions remain with the manufacturer and the appointed test/certification organisation.
Who this is for
You have a concept (or prototype) but you don’t yet trust the physics, assumptions, or boundary conditions.
You need confidence early - before committing to tooling, suppliers, or formal qualification.
A design is failing tests or field use, and you want a root-cause-led redesign that can pass next time.
You must meet standards/specs (customer acceptance, ISO/API/MIL-STD/RTCA or industry frameworks) and need a clean evidence trail.
Start here (fast, decision-ready)
1) Concept Verification Sprint
Minimum effective tests + correlation notes to prove the governing physics and expose the risk drivers early.
Pass/fail criteria and margins confirmed
Measurement that validates assumptions
Next-step plan into prototype / qualification
2) Design Verification / V&V Support
DVP&R / RTM ownership, evidence trail, and readiness gates to keep verification on track.
Requirements → artefacts traceability
Test-model correlation pack
Decision gates and sign-off documentation
3) Failure-to-Pass Recovery
If a design is failing tests or field use, we isolate the mechanism and deliver a redesign that can pass next time.
What we prove at concept stage (the de-risking work)
This is where most schedule and cost is saved. We run fast, cheap, decisive investigations to prove the governing
physics and remove the “unknown unknowns” before formal testing.
Dynamic behaviour: resonance margins, modal behaviour, damping reality vs assumptions, interface stiffness and boundary conditions.
Vibration survivability: likely amplification mechanisms, transmissibility paths, mount/interface behaviour, weakest axes.
Stress & strain response: where loads concentrate in real structures (not idealised ones), sensitivity to boundary conditions, and margin to yield / endurance limits where relevant.
Fatigue & fracture risk: hotspots, stress raisers, joint/fastener behaviour, crack initiation drivers, and how fast damage can accumulate under realistic duty cycles.
Environmental equivalence: translating field environments into realistic lab profiles (when qualification is the goal).
Noise-by-vibration risk: where vibration transmission creates structure-borne or tonal noise risks downstream.
How we work: Investigate → Measure → Analyse → Design → Support
Across every step we maintain a clear evidence trail—requirements → acceptance criteria → verification method → artefacts
(RTM/DVP&R, test results, correlation notes, and sign-off documentation).
Software models only prove a design is sound when they are verified against real measurements.
We combine targeted testing (FRFs / EMA / ODS and operating data) with structural analysis (often FEA) to
ensure the model predicts the real structure—before you commit to qualification testing or costly build decisions.
Measure the real dynamics: identify natural frequencies, mode shapes, damping and boundary-condition behaviour that drive response.
Update the model: correct stiffness, mass and interfaces so predicted modes and response align with measured reality (not assumptions).
Predict design margins: use the correlated model to check resonance margins, stress/strain hotspots, fatigue risk drivers and the effect of design changes.
Prove improvement: redesign → re-measure → re-correlate so decisions are based on evidence, not hope.
The outcome is a predictive model + evidence trail that supports acceptance criteria, compliance claims,
and (where needed) a clean route into formal qualification at accredited labs.
1) Investigate: define what “pass” means
Decompose requirements/specs into verifiable acceptance criteria (pass/fail, margins, limits, uncertainty considerations).
Create a live RTM / compliance matrix (requirements → acceptance → method → artefact).
Agree decision gates: what “good enough to proceed” means at concept, prototype, and verification stages.
2) Measure: prove the concept with minimum effective testing
Breadboards and “+1 DOF” rigs to validate stiffness/mass/damping quickly.
Targeted measurement: FRFs, EMA/ODS where useful, and operating measurements to expose amplification mechanisms.
Quick boundary-condition checks and search-and-dwell surveys to reveal true modal behaviour.
3) Analyse: verify by correlation (measure ↔ model)
Use test-correlated analysis (often FEA/structural dynamics) to make the model predictive.
Quantify stress and strain at critical features (interfaces, fillets, weld toes, fasteners, cut-outs) to confirm margins and identify where cracks are likely to initiate.
Fracture logic where needed: distinguish high-cycle fatigue, low-cycle fatigue, fretting fatigue, corrosion-fatigue, overload, and brittle fracture mechanisms based on evidence.
Apply Design FMEA and targeted DoE where it reduces risk fastest.
4) Design: remove failure modes and re-check fast
Iterate redesign → analyse → prototype → measure until the design is stable and ready for formal verification/qualification.
Typical crack-prevention fixes include geometry refinements to reduce stress concentration, improved load paths, joint/fastener redesign, surface finish and material upgrades, weld detail improvement, and stiffness/damping/isolation changes where dynamics drive stress.
Maintain traceability: every change is linked back to a requirement, a risk, and a piece of evidence.
5) Support: build compliance evidence that stands up to review
Verification plan: methods, artefacts, responsibilities, and gates.
Clear evidence trail: what was tested, what changed, why it changed, and what the results mean for compliance.
Where formal qualification is needed, we can orchestrate minimum effective accredited lab time via partner facilities.
What we do (typical work packages)
Concept verification sprint: fast experiments + measurements to prove the physics and expose risk drivers.
Design verification & V&V leadership: DVP&R/RTM ownership, correlation, redesign loops, readiness gates.
Stress / fatigue / fracture assessment: evidence-led identification of crack drivers, corrective redesign, and verification by repeat measurement and correlated analysis.
Failure-mode removal: resonance, fatigue, loosening, mount/interface issues; fix-list with owners and closure evidence.
Compliance engineering support: requirements mapping, acceptance criteria, verification planning, documentation pack.
Qualification/certification support (when needed): test planning, partner lab liaison, as-run profiles, deviations/waivers with technical justification.
What you receive
RTM / compliance matrix: mapping requirement → acceptance criteria → verification method → artefacts.
Verification plan: the minimum test/analysis needed, in the right order, with clear gates.
Concept proving results: rig notes, measurements, assumptions validated/invalidated, and next-step decisions.
Model–test correlation pack: FRF/mode comparisons (e.g., overlays + MAC notes), model updates, and the rationale used to justify design decisions and any test tailoring.
Correlation notes: model updates, comparisons, and the rationale for design changes.
Redesign pack (as applicable): corrective actions, updated drawings/BoM inputs, and evidence of risk reduction.
Evidence summary: clear executive-level readout suitable for management, customers, insurers, or reviewers.
Standards & frameworks (examples)
Applicable standards depend on sector and product. Where relevant, we support verification evidence aligned to
customer specs and recognised frameworks (examples below).
ISO / API acceptance criteria relevant to machinery vibration and performance.
MIL-STD / RTCA style environmental test frameworks where qualification is required.
Project/site vibration limits and sensitive-equipment criteria where required.
FAQs
Is this only for aerospace?
No. The same verification discipline applies to industrial products, machinery, and equipment—especially where vibration,
fatigue, mounts/interfaces, and acceptance criteria drive risk and cost.
Do you certify products?
No. We deliver engineering readiness and evidence that supports certification routes; certification is performed/issued by the
appointed body and/or test facility as applicable.
Can you help if a concept is still “uncertain”?
Yes—concept uncertainty is exactly the point. We design minimum effective tests to validate the governing physics and remove the
highest-risk failure modes early.
What’s the first step?
A short scoping call, then a focused “concept verification” plan: what we need to learn, the minimum tests to learn it, and the
decision gates that follow.
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