CONTENTS

LVDT :
▪ CONSTRUCTION
▪ WORKING PRINCIPLE
▪ OPERATION
▪ ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES
▪ APPLICATIONS
CONTENTS

CAPACITIVE AND PIEZO ELECTRIC TRANSDUCERS :

▪ CONSTRUCTION
▪ WORKING PRINCIPLE
▪ OPERATION
▪ ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES
▪ APPLICATIONS
REFERENCES
LVDT (LINEAR VARIABLE DIFFERENTIAL
TRANSFORMER)
CONSTRUCTION
AND WORKING
PRINCIPLE:
LVDT (LINEAR VARIABLE DIFFERENTIAL
TRANSFORMER)
OPERATION:
LVDT (LINEAR VARIABLE DIFFERENTIAL
TRANSFORMER)
ADVANTAGES:
▪ HIGH RANGE - THE LVDTS HAVE A VERY HIGH RANGE FOR MEASUREMENT OF
DISPLACEMENT. THEY CAN USED FOR MEASUREMENT OF DISPLACEMENTS RANGING
FROM 1.25MM TO 250MM.
▪ NO FRICTIONAL LOSSES - AS THE CORE MOVES INSIDE A HOLLOW FORMER SO THERE IS
NO LOSS OF DISPLACEMENT INPUT AS FRICTIONAL LOSS SO IT MAKES LVDT AS VERY
ACCURATE DEVICE.
▪ HIGH INPUT AND HIGH SENSITIVITY - THE OUTPUT OF LVDT IS SO HIGH THAT IT DOESN’T
NEED ANY AMPLIFICATION. THE TRANSDUCER POSSES A HIGH SENSITIVITY WHICH IS
TYPICALLY ABOUT 40V/MM.
▪ LOW HYSTERESIS - LVDTS SHOW A LOW HYSTERESIS AND HENCE REPEATABILITY IS
EXCELLENT UNDER ALL CONDITIONS
LVDT (LINEAR VARIABLE DIFFERENTIAL
TRANSFORMER)

ADVANTAGES:
▪ LOW POWER CONSUMPTION - THE POWER CONSUMPTION IS ABOUT 1W WHICH IS VERY
LOW AS COMPARED TO OTHER TRANSDUCERS.
▪ DIRECT CONVERSION TO ELECTRICAL SIGNALS - THEY CONVERT THE LINEAR
DISPLACEMENT TO ELECTRICAL VOLTAGE WHICH ARE EASY TO PROCESS.
DISADVANTAGES:
▪ LVDT IS SENSITIVE TO STRAY MAGNETIC FIELDS SO THEY ALWAYS REQUIRE A SETUP TO
PROTECT THEM FROM STRAY MAGNETIC FIELDS.
▪ THEY ARE AFFECTED BY VIBRATIONS AND TEMPERATURE.
LVDT (LINEAR VARIABLE DIFFERENTIAL
TRANSFORMER)

APPLICATIONS:
▪ THEY ARE USED IN APPLICATIONS WHERE DISPLACEMENTS RANGING FROM
FRACTION OF MM TO FEW CM ARE TO BE MEASURED. THE LVDT ACTING AS A
PRIMARY TRANSDUCER CONVERTS THE DISPLACEMENT TO ELECTRICAL SIGNAL
DIRECTLY.
▪ THEY CAN ALSO ACTS AS THE SECONDARY TRANSDUCERS. E.G. THE BOURDON
TUBE WHICH ACTS AS A PRIMARY TRANSDUCER AND COVERT PRESSURE INTO
LINEAR DISPLACEMENT.THEN LVDT COVERTS THIS DISPLACEMENT INTO
ELECTRICAL SIGNAL WHICH AFTER CALIBRATION GIVES THE IDEAS OF THE
PRESSURE OF FLUID.
CAPACITIVE TRANSDUCERS

▪ THE CAPACITIVE TRANSDUCER COMPRISES

OF TWO PARALLEL METAL PLATES THAT ARE
SEPARATED BY THE MATERIAL SUCH AS AIR,
WHICH IS CALLED AS THE DIELECTRIC
MATERIAL.
▪ IN THE TYPICAL CAPACITOR THE DISTANCE
BETWEEN THE TWO PLATES IS FIXED, BUT
IN VARIABLE CAPACITANCE
TRANSDUCERS THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE
TWO PLATES IS VARIABLE.
CAPACITIVE TRANSDUCERS

WORKING PRINCIPLE: THE CAPACITIVE TRANSDUCER WORKS ON THE PRINCIPLE OF

“VARIABLE CAPACITANCES”. THE CAPACITANCE OF THE CAPACITIVE TRANSDUCER CHANGES
BECAUSE OF MANY REASONS LIKE OVERLAPPING OF PLATES, CHANGE IN DISTANCE
BETWEEN THE PLATES AND DIELECTRIC CONSTANT.
▪ THE PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION OF CAPACITIVE TRANSDUCERS IS BASED UPON THE
EQUATION FOR CAPACITANCE OF A PARALLEL PLATE CAPACITOR.
CAPACITIVE TRANSDUCERS

OPERATION:
THE CAPACITIVE TRANSDUCERS ARE COMMONLY USED FOR MEASUREMENT OF
LINEAR DISPLACEMENT, BY EMPLOYING THE FOLLOWING EFFECTS AS SHOWN IN
FIG A AND FIG B.
a) CHANGE IN CAPACITANCE DUE TO CHANGE IN OVERLAPPING AREA OF PLATES.
b) CHANGE IN CAPACITANCE DUE TO CHANGE IN DISTANCE BETWEEN THE TWO
PLATES.
c) CHANGE IN CAPACITANCE DUE TO CHANGE IN DIELECTRIC BETWEEN THE TWO
PLATES
CAPACITIVE TRANSDUCERS
CAPACITIVE TRANSDUCERS

ADVANTAGES:
▪ LOW POWER CONSUMING TRANSDUCERS.
▪ IT PROVIDES HIGH RESOLUTION.
▪ THE LOADING EFFECT IS LESS DUE TO HIGH INPUT IMPEDANCE.
▪ THE SENSITIVITY OF CAPACITIVE TRANSDUCER IS HIGH.
▪ IT HAS GOOD FREQUENCY RESPONSE.
CAPACITIVE TRANSDUCERS

DISADVANTAGES:
▪ THE CAPACITIVE TRANSDUCERS ARE TEMPERATURE SENSITIVE.
▪ IT GIVES NON LINEAR BEHAVIOR.
▪ THE CAPACITANCE MAY GET CHANGED BY DUST PARTICLE AND MOISTURE
WHICH PRODUCE ERROR.
CAPACITIVE TRANSDUCERS

APPLICATIONS:
▪ AS THESE TRANSDUCERS ARE ABLE TO MEASURE BOTH LINEAR AND ANGULAR
DISPLACEMENTS WITH GREAT SENSITIVITY. HENCE USED TO DETERMINE
DISTANCES UP TO AROUND 30 M.
▪ NOT ONLY THE DISPLACEMENT BUT ALSO FORCE AND PRESSURE CAN BE
DETECTED. THESE FIRST CHANGES THE FORCE INTO DISPLACEMENT AND WITH
THE CHANGE IN DISPLACEMENT, THE CAPACITANCE IS ALLOWED TO VARY.
▪ ALSO, HUMIDITY CAN BE MEASURED BY A CAPACITIVE TRANSDUCER. AS WITH
THE VARIATION IN HUMIDITY, THE PERMITTIVITY ALSO VARIES AND THIS
RESULTANTLY CHANGES THE CAPACITANCE OF THE CAPACITOR.
CAPACITIVE TRANSDUCERS
PIEZOELECTRIC TRANSDUCERS

A PIEZOELECTRIC TRANSDUCER/SENSOR IS AN
ACTIVE SENSOR AND IT DOES NOT NEED THE
HELP OF AN EXTERNAL POWER AS IT IS SELF-
GENERATING. IT IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW THE
BASICS OF A PIEZOELECTRIC QUARTZ CRYSTAL
AND PIEZOELECTRIC EFFECT BEFORE GOING INTO
DETAILS ABOUT THE TRANSDUCER.
PIEZOELECTRIC TRANSDUCERS

WORKING PRINCIPLE:
THE PIEZOELECTRIC TRANSDUCERS WORK ON
THE PRINCIPLE OF PIEZOELECTRIC EFFECT.
WHEN MECHANICAL STRESS OR FORCES ARE
APPLIED TO SOME MATERIALS ALONG CERTAIN
PLANES, THEY PRODUCE ELECTRIC VOLTAGE.
THIS ELECTRIC VOLTAGE CAN BE MEASURED
EASILY BY THE VOLTAGE MEASURING
INSTRUMENTS, WHICH CAN BE USED TO
MEASURE THE STRESS OR FORCE.
PIEZOELECTRIC TRANSDUCERS

PIEZOELECTRIC CRYSTAL:
A QUARTZ CRYSTAL IS A PIEZOELECTRIC MATERIAL THAT CAN
GENERATE A VOLTAGE PROPORTIONAL TO THE STRESS APPLIED
UPON IT.
▪ FOR THE APPLICATION, A NATURAL QUARTZ CRYSTAL HAS TO BE
CUT IN THE SHAPE OF A THIN PLATE OF UNIFORM THICKNESS.
▪ EACH CRYSTAL HAS 3 SETS OF AXES – OPTICAL AXES, 3 ELECTRICAL
AXES OX1, OX2, AND OX3 WITH 120 DEGREE WITH EACH OTHER,
AND 3 MECHANICAL AXES OY1,OY2 AND OY3 ALSO AT 120 DEGREE
WITH EACH OTHER.
▪ THE MECHANICAL AXES WILL BE AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE
ELECTRICAL AXES
PIEZOELECTRIC TRANSDUCERS

▪ THE FIGURE SHOWS A CONVENTIONAL PIEZOELECTRIC

TRANSDUCER WITH A PIEZOELECTRIC CRYSTAL INSERTED
BETWEEN A SOLID BASE AND THE FORCE SUMMING
MEMBER.
▪ IF A FORCE IS APPLIED ON THE PRESSURE PORT, THE SAME
FORCE WILL FALL ON THE FORCE SUMMING MEMBER. THUS
A POTENTIAL DIFFERENCE WILL BE GENERATED ON THE
CRYSTAL DUE TO ITS PROPERTY. THE VOLTAGE PRODUCED
WILL BE PROPORTIONAL TO THE MAGNITUDE OF THE
APPLIED FORCE.
PIEZOELECTRIC TRANSDUCERS

ADVANTAGES:
▪ HIGH FREQUENCY RESPONSE: THEY OFFER VERY HIGH FREQUENCY RESPONSE
THAT MEANS THE PARAMETER CHANGING AT VERY HIGH SPEEDS CAN BE SENSED
EASILY.
▪ HIGH TRANSIENT RESPONSE: THE PIEZOELECTRIC TRANSDUCERS CAN DETECT
THE EVENTS OF MICROSECONDS AND ALSO GIVE THE LINEAR OUTPUT.
▪ HIGH OUTPUT: THEY OFFER HIGH OUTPUT THAT BE MEASURED IN THE
ELECTRONIC CIRCUIT.
▪ THE PIEZOELECTRIC TRANSDUCERS ARE SMALL IN SIZE AND HAVE RUGGED
CONSTRUCTION.
PIEZOELECTRIC TRANSDUCERS

DISADVANTAGES:
▪ IT IS NOT SUITABLE FOR MEASUREMENT IN STATIC CONDITION.
▪ THE OUTPUT MAY VARY ACCORDING TO THE TEMPERATURE VARIATION OF THE
CRYSTAL.
▪ THE RELATIVE HUMIDITY RISES ABOVE 85% OR FALLS BELOW 35%, ITS OUTPUT
WILL BE AFFECTED. IF SO, IT HAS TO BE COATED WITH WAX OR POLYMER
MATERIAL.
▪ SINCE THE DEVICE OPERATES WITH THE SMALL ELECTRIC CHARGE, THEY NEED
HIGH IMPEDANCE CABLE FOR ELECTRICAL INTERFACE.
PIEZOELECTRIC TRANSDUCERS

APPLICATIONS:
▪ THE PIEZOELECTRIC TRANSDUCERS ARE MORE USEFUL FOR THE DYNAMIC
MEASUREMENTS.
▪ FOR THE SAME REASONS THEY CAN BE USED FOR STUDYING HIGH SPEED
PHENOMENON LIKE EXPLOSIONS AND BLAST WAVES. THEY ARE ALSO USED IN
AERODYNAMIC SHOCK TUBE WORK AND SEISMOGRAPH (USED FOR
MEASUREMENT OF ACCELERATION AND VIBRATION IN ROCKETS).
▪ THE AUTOMOTIVE COMPANIES USED PIEZOELECTRIC TRANSDUCERS TO DETECT
DETONATIONS IN THE ENGINE BLOCKS.
▪ MANY TIMES THE PIEZO SENSORS OR TRANSDUCERS ARE USED ALONG WITH
THE STRAIN GAUGES FOR MEASUREMENT OF FORCE, STRESS, VIBRATIONS, ETC.
REFERENCES

▪ NPTEL LECTURES.
▪ WWW.INSTRUMENTATIONTOOLS.COM
▪ https://www.magicmarks.in
THANK YOU
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