Assistant Professor, I&C Engg Elastic sensing elements If a force is applied to a spring, then the amount of extension or compression of the spring is approximately proportional to the applied force. This is the principle of elastic sensing elements which convert an input force into an output displacement. Elastic elements are also commonly used for measuring torque, pressure and acceleration, which are related to force by the equations: Cont. In a measurement system an elastic element will be followed by a suitable secondary displacement sensor, e.g. potentiometer, strain gauge or LVDT, which converts displacement into an electrical signal. The displacement may be translational or rotational. The initial concept of. converting an applied force into a displacement is basic to many types of transducers. The mechanical elements which are used to convert the applied force into a displacement are usually elastic members. There are many types of these elastic members. They can be classified into three categories, although some elastic members may fall into a combination of these categories. The three categories are : Direct tension or compression type Bending type Torsion type Different elastic transduces
The Bourdon tubes are made out of an elliptically sectioned
flattened tube bent in such a way as to produce the above mentioned shapes. Cont. The Bourdon tubes are made out of an elliptically sectioned flattened tube bent in such a way as to produce the above mentioned shapes. One end of the tube is sealed or closed and physically held. The other end is open for the fluid to enter. When the fluid whose pressure is to be measured enters the tube, the tube tends to straighten out on account of the pressure. This causes the movement of the free end which is measured. Bourdon tubes normally measure gauge pressure. The materials used for Bourdon tubes are brass, phosphor bronze, beryllium copper, and steel Diaphragms The movement of a diaphragm is a convenient way of sensing a pressure. The unknown pressure is applied to one side of the diaphragm. The edge of the diaphragm is rigidly fixed and this causes a deflection. The displacement of the center of the diaphragm may be measured in order to know the value of the pressure, because the deflection is directly proportional to the pressure. The diaphragms are of two types : Flat Corrugated. Cont. Corrugated diaphragms give a larger displacement which may be about 2 per cent of' diaphragm diameter. In order to obtain larger deflections, two corrugated diaphragms may be welded, brazed or soldered to form a Capsule. The diaphragms are usually made of mild steel Cont.
Corrugated designs help in providing a linear
deflection and also increase the member strength. The total amount of deflection for a given pressure differential is known by the following factors: Number and depth of corrugation Number of capsules Capsule diameter Shell thickness Material characteristics Material Non-metallic or slack diaphragms are used for measuring very small pressures. The commonly used materials for making the diaphragm are polythene, neoprene, animal membrane, silk, and synthetic materials. Due to their non-elastic characteristics, the device will have to be opposed with external springs for calibration and precise operation. Cont. The diaphragms may be membranes. However, it is usual to employ thin circular plates which may either be clamped around their circumference between two solid rings or are machined from a solid piece of metal. A flat diaphragm is shown in Fig.
E =Young's modulus ; N/m2
t=thickness of diaphragm ; m, D=diameter of diaphragm; m, v=Poisson's ratio, dm=deflection at the centre of the diaphragm ; m. Cont. The above relationship between pressure, and the deflection at the center, dm, is linear. But linearity holds good as long as dm<<0.5t and not otherwise. The maximum stress at the circumference of diaphragm is :
The lowest natural frequency for air or gas medium is :
where ρ =density of diaphragm material, kg/m3
Advantages
Good for low pressure
Inexpensive Wide range Reliable and proven Used to measure gauge, atmospheric and differential pressure Bellows. Cont. Bellows is a thin walled tube approximately o· 1 mm thick having a corrugated shape. It is made from a single piece of metal, usually special brass or stainless steel. Bellows is essentially a pressure activated spring. The displacement of the Bellows for a particular pressure depends upon the type and the thickness of the material used, It is observed from above that the action of the Bourdon tube, the diaphragm and the Bellows are all based upon the elastic deformations brought out by the force resulting from pressure summation. The deformations or mechanical displacements are normally very small to be detectable with good accuracy by mechanical means and hence secondary transducers which are electrical in nature have to be used invariably and probably compulsarily in order that the output is in a intelligible and interpretable form. Cont.
A bellow gauge contains
an elastic element that is a convoluted unit that expands and contracts axially with change in pressure.