Performance Test Automation

Author(s):  
B. M. Subraya

This chapter delves on the automation aspects connected with performance issues. Adopting a manual method of testing the performance is neither desirable nor feasible. Automating the testing mode is an inevitable necessity. The strategy lies in choosing not only the best of the available tools but also to blend their productivity with human analytical skills. In this regard, it is important to bear in mind that use of tools as such does not amount to automating the entire testing process. This chapter addresses the task of setting up a process for automating the tests and highlights various issues involved in it. It also discusses some of the strategies for success in the automation of performance testing and concludes with a survey on tools currently available for testing in automation mode.

Author(s):  
Mahshid Helali Moghadam ◽  
Mehrdad Saadatmand ◽  
Markus Borg ◽  
Markus Bohlin ◽  
Björn Lisper

AbstractTest automation brings the potential to reduce costs and human effort, but several aspects of software testing remain challenging to automate. One such example is automated performance testing to find performance breaking points. Current approaches to tackle automated generation of performance test cases mainly involve using source code or system model analysis or use-case-based techniques. However, source code and system models might not always be available at testing time. On the other hand, if the optimal performance testing policy for the intended objective in a testing process instead could be learned by the testing system, then test automation without advanced performance models could be possible. Furthermore, the learned policy could later be reused for similar software systems under test, thus leading to higher test efficiency. We propose SaFReL, a self-adaptive fuzzy reinforcement learning-based performance testing framework. SaFReL learns the optimal policy to generate performance test cases through an initial learning phase, then reuses it during a transfer learning phase, while keeping the learning running and updating the policy in the long term. Through multiple experiments in a simulated performance testing setup, we demonstrate that our approach generates the target performance test cases for different programs more efficiently than a typical testing process and performs adaptively without access to source code and performance models.


Author(s):  
Amir Golalipour ◽  
Varun Veginati ◽  
David J. Mensching

In the asphalt materials community, the most critical research need is centered around a paradigm shift in mixture design from the volumetric process of the previous 20-plus years to an optimization procedure based on laboratory-measured mechanical properties that should lead to an increase in long-term pavement performance. This study is focused on advancing the state of understanding with respect to the value of intermediate temperature cracking tests, which may be included in a balanced mix design. The materials included are plant-mixed, laboratory-compacted specimens reheated from the 2013 Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA’s) Accelerated Loading Facility (ALF) study on reclaimed asphalt pavement/reclaimed asphalt shingle (RAP/RAS) materials. Six commonly discussed intermediate temperature (cracking and durability) performance testing (i.e., Asphalt Mixture Performance Tester [AMPT] Cyclic Fatigue, Cantabro, Illinois Flexibility Index Test [I-FIT], Indirect Tensile Cracking [ITC, also known as IDEAL-CT], Indirect Tensile Nflex, and Texas Overlay Test) were selected for use in this study based on input from stakeholders. Test results were analyzed to compare differences between the cracking tests. In addition, statistical analyses were conducted to assess the separation among materials (lanes) for each performance test. Cyclic fatigue and IDEAL-CT tests showed the most promising results. The ranking from these two tests’ index parameters matched closely with ALF field performance. Furthermore, both showed reasonable variability of test data and they were successful in differentiating between different materials.


Author(s):  
Shane E. Powers ◽  
William C. Wood

With the renewed interest in the construction of coal-fired power plants in the United States, there has also been an increased interest in the methodology used to calculate/determine the overall performance of a coal fired power plant. This methodology is detailed in the ASME PTC 46 (1996) Code, which provides an excellent framework for determining the power output and heat rate of coal fired power plants. Unfortunately, the power industry has been slow to adopt this methodology, in part because of the lack of some details in the Code regarding the planning needed to design a performance test program for the determination of coal fired power plant performance. This paper will expand on the ASME PTC 46 (1996) Code by discussing key concepts that need to be addressed when planning an overall plant performance test of a coal fired power plant. The most difficult aspect of calculating coal fired power plant performance is integrating the calculation of boiler performance with the calculation of turbine cycle performance and other balance of plant aspects. If proper planning of the performance test is not performed, the integration of boiler and turbine data will result in a test result that does not accurately reflect the true performance of the overall plant. This planning must start very early in the development of the test program, and be implemented in all stages of the test program design. This paper will address the necessary planning of the test program, including: • Determination of Actual Plant Performance. • Selection of a Test Goal. • Development of the Basic Correction Algorithm. • Designing a Plant Model. • Development of Correction Curves. • Operation of the Power Plant during the Test. All nomenclature in this paper utilizes the ASME PTC 46 definitions for the calculation and correction of plant performance.


Author(s):  
Tomas Gro¨nstedt ◽  
Markus Wallin

Recent work on gas turbine diagnostics based on optimisation techniques advocates two different approaches: 1) Stochastic optimisation, including Genetic Algorithm techniques, for its robustness when optimising objective functions with many local optima and 2) Gradient based methods mainly for their computational efficiency. For smooth and single optimum functions, gradient methods are known to provide superior numerical performance. This paper addresses the key issue for method selection, i.e. whether multiple local optima may occur when the optimisation approach is applied to real engine testing. Two performance test data sets for the RM12 low bypass ratio turbofan engine, powering the Swedish Fighter Gripen, have been analysed. One set of data was recorded during performance testing of a highly degraded engine. This engine has been subjected to Accelerated Mission Testing (AMT) cycles corresponding to more than 4000 hours of run time. The other data set was recorded for a development engine with less than 200 hours of operation. The search for multiple optima was performed starting from more than 100 extreme points. Not a single case of multi-modality was encountered, i.e. one unique solution for each of the two data sets was consistently obtained. The RM12 engine cycle is typical for a modern fighter engine, implying that the obtained results can be transferred to, at least, most low bypass ratio turbofan engines. The paper goes on to describe the numerical difficulties that had to be resolved to obtain efficient and robust performance by the gradient solvers. Ill conditioning and noise may, as illustrated on a model problem, introduce local optima without a correspondence in the gas turbine physics. Numerical methods exploiting the special problem structure represented by a non-linear least squares formulation is given special attention. Finally, a mixed norm allowing for both robustness and numerical efficiency is suggested.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-64
Author(s):  
Almuzakkir . ◽  
Muhammad . ◽  
Adi Setiawan

Fuel is something that is very important in everyday life. Almost every human being needs fuel to meet their needs and support their activities, for example cooking in household needs. Currently, fossil fuels or fuel oil (BBM) are still widely used to meet demand, however, it should be noted that fossil fuels or fuel oil (BBM) are non-renewable natural resources. The biomass rocket stove is one of the modern stove innovations that uses biomass energy as the main energy source. Rocket stoves are designed to increase fuel efficiency with thermal efficiency, a combination of the increased combustion efficiency and heat transfer associated with burning briquette fuel. The purpose of this research is to design and manufacture rocket stove fired with coconut and bamboo biomass for household needs as well as developing methods and equipment for performance testing of rocket stoves. In this study, several steps were carried out, including designing a rocket furnace, selecting biomass fuel and testing the performance of a rocket furnace. From the design of the biomass stove, it is noteworthy that the design with two holes makes the combustion air easily enters and makes combustion in the furnace more perfect and efficient. Water boiling test using three types of solid fuels with the cold start condition suggested that the highest thermal efficiency was coconut fronds with a value of 38% and the lowest thermal efficiency was found from coconut shell combustion, i.e. 22%. During hot start test, the highest thermal efficiency was obtained from coconut fronds firing with a value of 41%. Moreover, with simmer water boiling test method, firing the rocket stove with coconut fronds showed the highest thermal efficiency with a value of 37%. Keywords: Rocket Stoves, Coconut Fronds and Shells, Bamboo, Thermal Efficiency, .Water Boiling Tests.


Author(s):  
Ke Li ◽  
Bo Yu ◽  
Zhaoyao Shi ◽  
Zanhui Shu ◽  
Rui Li

With the development of gears towards high temperature, high pressure, high speed and high stress, gear measurement, in which only the static geometric accuracy is considered, is unable to meet the current application requirements. While, the low precision and single function gear tester constrains the measurement of gear dynamic performance. For the resolution of this problem, based on the principle of gear system dynamics and several precision mechanical design techniques, a gear dynamic testing machine has been developed, providing new instruments for gear testing. On the basis of research of the principle of dynamic performance test, the primary measurement items of the testing machine have been determined. The measuring principles of each item and the driving and loading form of the testing machine have been examined. The measurement and control system of the testing machine and its corresponding software have been developed. The instrument can not only obtain the static precision index of the gear, but also obtain the dynamic performance index of the gear in variable working conditions. According to the actual test, the uncertainty of instrument is 3.8 μm and the external disturbance caused by the shaft vibration is less than 0.6 μm, which can meet the 5–6 grade precision gear testing requirement.


2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 222-232
Author(s):  
Jong-Won Lee ◽  
Kyoung-Bong Ha ◽  
Youn-Kyu Kim ◽  
Joo-Hee Lee ◽  
In-Ho Choi ◽  
...  

Life science research has been actively carried out in space for a long time using bioreactor equipment, in anticipation of manned space exploration and space tourism. Such studies have reported that the microgravity environment has a negative effect on the human body, including the musculoskeletal system, nervous system, and endocrine system. Bone loss and muscular atrophy are issues that need to be resolved before long-term exposure of the human body to a space environment. To address this problem, Y. K. Kim et al. designed a system in 2015 and performed an evaluation of an automated bioreactor development model (DM) for space experiments. In this study, we developed an automated bioreactor engineering model (EM) based on the previous literature, and conducted media exchange performance testing using the Bradford assay. We used a novel method that allowed quantitative assessment of the media exchange rate versus the conventional assessment method using visual observation with a camera. By measuring the media exchange rate of the automated bioreactor EM, we attempted to verify applicability for the system for space experiments. We expect that the experimental method proposed in this study is useful for logical determination of liquid exchange or circulation in different closed systems.


Author(s):  
Alex Ng ◽  
Shiping Chen

Performance testing is one of the vital activities spanning the whole life cycle of software engineering. As a result, there are a considerable number of performance testing products and open source tools available. It has been observed that most of the existing performance testing products and tools are either too expensive and complicated for small projects, or too specific and simple for diverse performance tests. In this chapter, we will present an overview of existing performance test products/tools, provide a summary of some of the contemporary system performance testing frameworks, and capture the key requirements for a general-purpose performance testing framework. Based on our previous works, we propose a system performance testing framework which is suitable for both simple and small, as well as complicated and large-scale performance testing projects. The core of our framework contains an abstraction to facilitate performance testing by separating the application logic from the common performance testing functionality, and a set of general-purpose data model.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 28
Author(s):  
Elena Markoska ◽  
Aslak Johansen ◽  
Mikkel Baun Kjærgaard ◽  
Sanja Lazarova-Molnar ◽  
Muhyiddine Jradi ◽  
...  

Performance testing of components and subsystems of buildings is a promising practice for increasing energy efficiency and closing gaps between intended and actual performance of buildings. A typical shortcoming of performance testing is the difficulty of linking a failing test to a faulty or underperforming component. Furthermore, a failing test can also be linked to a wrongly configured performance test. In this paper, we present Building Metadata Performance Testing (BuMPeT), a method that addresses this shortcoming by using building metadata models to extend performance testing with fault detection and diagnostics (FDD) capabilities. We present four different procedures that apply BuMPeT to different data sources and components. We have applied the proposed method to a case study building, located in Denmark, to test its capacity and benefits. Additionally, we use two real case scenarios to showcase examples of failing performance tests in the building, as well as discovery of causes of underperformance. Finally, to examine the limits to the benefits of the applied procedure, a detailed elaboration of a hypothetical scenario is presented. Our findings demonstrate that the method has potential and it can serve to increase the energy efficiency of a wide range of buildings.


1986 ◽  
Vol 66 (3) ◽  
pp. 817-820
Author(s):  
J. S. WALTON ◽  
B. W. McBRIDE ◽  
N. A. MARTINEAU ◽  
T. D. BURGESS

Completely pelleted diets were fed to rams under a facsimile of Ontario Ram Performance Test procedures. Twenty rams were fed for 50 d on completely pelleted rations without impairment of growth rate and without any effects on rumen health or ingestive behavior. Key words: R.O.P. testing, rams, pelleted feeds, growth rate, rumen lining


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