| Tip of the
Month |
In shock calibration, a small amount of material with suitable
damping (like felt or rubber) placed at the impact surface helps to
mechanically filter out high frequencies to avoid ringing the shock
sensor's sensing element resonances. This provides for a
smoother output pulse and consistency in the calibration.
Clean excitation is always an advantage when comparing the sensor
under test and the ICP® reference
standard. |
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Cost and
Considerations of Calibration in Aerospace and
Defense |
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 No where is the price of product or mission
failure as high as it is in the aeroapce and defense markets.
A satellite failure can cost hundreds of millions of dollars, while
an aircraft or military failure can cost incalculable value in the
loss of lives. In response to this inherent market pressure,
an extreme level of confidence is required of the test and data
integrity. And, as with all measurement situations, confidence
starts with the integrity of the calibration. Clearly
confidence is the key. This drives aerospace and defense
(A&D) organizations to have heightened and specific needs in
terms of accuracy, reliability and reputation in their sensor
calibrations. This month we'll outline some of the details to
filling these needs in A&D vibration sensor
calibration...
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New
developments in Shock sensing |
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 The last decade has seen a major shift in the
specialized use of Micro ElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS) based
accelerometers. Most people are familiar with the millions of
low cost, low resolution MEMS accelerometers that have made their
way into iPhones®, game controllers and automotive air bag
deployment systems. However, many people are not aware of
the highly specialized MEMS accelerometer designs developed to meet
the unique and stringent requirements of A&D applications
like pyrotechnic shock (launch vehicle stage separation), munitions
penetration, blast loading, as well as commercial applications like
pile driving, down hole oil exploration and product drop
testing. In scanning the industry literature this month, I
was fascinated to learn of a clever hybrid of traditional 4
wire bridge signal conditioning adapted for simplified 2 wire ICP®
operation...
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The Modal
Shop is celebrating its 20th Anniversary in 2010. We
hope that you've enjoyed our newsletter again this month and its
educational content over the last few years. No where like the
calibration field is certainty and reliability more important. We're
here to serve you with all your dynamic sensor and calibration
needs... whenever you need help!
Sincerely, |
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Michael J. Lally The Modal Shop
A PCB Group Company
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