Vibration testing apparatus

Claim 1

A VIBRATION TESTING APPARATUS COMPRISING: DRIVE MEANS FOR IMPARTING BACK AND FORTH MOTION ALONG ONE AXIS; DRIVEN MEANS COMPRISING AN UPPER SURFACE HAVING A TESTED COMPONENT SECURED THERETO, THE WEIGHT OF SAID COMPONENT SUBSTANTIALLY EQUALLY DISTRIBUTED ON EITHER SIDE OF SAID AXIS AND WHOSE CENTER OF GRAVITY IS ADAPTED TO BE DRIVEN BY SAID DRIVE MEANS ALONG SAID AXIS; INTERCONNECTING MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTING SAID DRIVE MEANS AND SAID DRIVEN MEANS FOR AUTOMATICALLY ALIGNING AND DRIVING THE CENTER OF GRAVITY OF SAID TESTED COMPONENT ALONG SAID AXIS, SAID INTERCONNECTING MEANS COMPRISING A CONICALLY SHAPED MEMBER HAVING ITS BASE END PORTION CONNECTED TO SAID DRIVING MEANS AND ITS APEX END PORTION CONNECTED TO SAID DRIVEN MEANS, SAID MEMBER PROVIDING OUTER SURFACE PORTIONS BETWEEN SAID BASE AND APEX END PORTIONS WHICH FORM AN ANGLE SELECTED FROM THE RANGE OF FROM 30* TO 60* WITH RESPECT TO SAID AXIS; AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL MEANS COOPERATING WITH SAID DRIVEN MEANS AND FURTHER COOPERATING WITH THE TESTED COMPONENT SECURED THERETO FOR ACCURATELY SUBJECTING SAID DRIVEN MEANS AND TESTED COMPONENT TO SELECTIVELY CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENTS WITHOUT AFFECTING THE OPERATIONAL FUNCTION OF SAID TESTING APPARATUS, SAID ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL MEANS COMPRISING A FRAME MEMBER CONSTRUCTED AND ARRANGED TO OVERLAP PERIPHERAL PORTIONS OF THE UPPER SURFACE OF SAID DRIVEN MEANS AND A CHAMBER SECURED TO SAID FRAME MEMBER AND ENCLOSING SAID DRIVEN MEANS AND TESTED COMPONENT.