A theoretical and experimental investigation of accelerometer design using thick-film technology
A theoretical and experimental investigation of accelerometer design using thick-film technology
This thesis describes research undertaken to develop a low-cost accelerometer using thick-film strain gauge transduction elements. A systematic design process was adopted, including a study of substrate materials, evaluation of the fatigue life of the transducer, investigations of the mechanical and thermal properties of thick-film inks, and an assessment of the limits on resolution imposed by the intrinsic noise characteristics of thick-film resistors.
The research has shown that fatigue is unlikely to be a problem for thick-film transducers and has led to a new explanation of the nature of thermally-induced resistance changes observed in thick-film resistors. It has also been shown that since the thick-film resistor noise exhibits a 1/f characteristic the resolution of the transducer is frequency dependant.
The accelerometer design adopted uses thick-film strain gauges in a novel 'z-axis' configuration, which confers a number of advantages on the design. Firstly, the thick-film transducers are kept in a state of compressive stress, which is varied by the acceleration in a manner which allows the strain gauges to only experience tensile stress. This makes the design very rugged, and allows the use of ceramic substrates. Secondly, the use of the z-axis technique gives a higher gauge factor than all other methods, thus enhancing the sensitivity of the sensor and simplifying the signal conditioning required.
Sion, Russell Paul
7feb8847-77bf-4f7a-89b0-7e39d5b4e7cd
1993
Sion, Russell Paul
7feb8847-77bf-4f7a-89b0-7e39d5b4e7cd
Sion, Russell Paul
(1993)
A theoretical and experimental investigation of accelerometer design using thick-film technology.
University of Southampton, School of Engineering Sciences, Doctoral Thesis.
Record type:
Thesis
(Doctoral)
Abstract
This thesis describes research undertaken to develop a low-cost accelerometer using thick-film strain gauge transduction elements. A systematic design process was adopted, including a study of substrate materials, evaluation of the fatigue life of the transducer, investigations of the mechanical and thermal properties of thick-film inks, and an assessment of the limits on resolution imposed by the intrinsic noise characteristics of thick-film resistors.
The research has shown that fatigue is unlikely to be a problem for thick-film transducers and has led to a new explanation of the nature of thermally-induced resistance changes observed in thick-film resistors. It has also been shown that since the thick-film resistor noise exhibits a 1/f characteristic the resolution of the transducer is frequency dependant.
The accelerometer design adopted uses thick-film strain gauges in a novel 'z-axis' configuration, which confers a number of advantages on the design. Firstly, the thick-film transducers are kept in a state of compressive stress, which is varied by the acceleration in a manner which allows the strain gauges to only experience tensile stress. This makes the design very rugged, and allows the use of ceramic substrates. Secondly, the use of the z-axis technique gives a higher gauge factor than all other methods, thus enhancing the sensitivity of the sensor and simplifying the signal conditioning required.
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Published date: 1993
Organisations:
University of Southampton
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Local EPrints ID: 47513
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/47513
PURE UUID: 0c7b23de-9cc3-47cf-952e-251762fdabda
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Date deposited: 07 Aug 2007
Last modified: 11 Dec 2021 16:41
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Author:
Russell Paul Sion
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