ME 306 Chapter 2.

CHARACTERISTICS OF INSTRUMENTS

Quiz-1

__________________________________________________________________________ 1
 ME 306 Chapter 2. CHARACTERISTICS OF INSTRUMENTS

Chapter 2

CHARACTERISTICS OF INSTRUMENTS

INTRODUCTION

■ The system characteristics is a set of system parameters and features that describes

the operation and performance of this system.

■ Performance of a measurement system is described by means of some characteristics;

these characteristics are classified into two categories.

(I) Static characteristics

■ The static characteristics pertain to a system where the quantities to be measured are

constant or vary slowly with time. These characteristics are determined by the values

given when steady-state conditions occur, i.e., the values given when the system or

element has settled down after having received an input signal.

■ The static characteristics include the following parameters and features; accuracy,

error, repeatability, reproducibility, drift, sensitivity, precision, tolerance, scale

readability, reliability, failure rate, hysteresis, loading effect, noise, linearity, threshold,

resolution, etc.
__________________________________________________________________________ 2
 ME 306 Chapter 2. CHARACTERISTICS OF INSTRUMENTS

(II) Dynamic characteristics

■ When an instrument is required to measure an input which is dynamic in nature (i.e., a

process variable that varies with time) one must be concerned with dynamic

characteristics, these characteristics quantify the dynamic relation between the input

and output.

■ The dynamic characteristics pertain to a system where the quantities to be measured

are rapidly time-varying quantities (or dynamic quantities). Examples for dynamic

characteristics are speed of response, measuring lag, overshoot, and settling time.

__________________________________________________________________________ 3
 ME 306 Chapter 2. CHARACTERISTICS OF INSTRUMENTS

Measured or Indicated Value Vm

■ Measured or indicated value Vm is the magnitude of a

variable indicated by a measuring instrument.

■ The measured value may not actually be the true

value of the variable.

■ For instance, in the case of the thermometer, there may be measurement errors due

to:

o The limited accuracy in the scale calibration, or

o Reading errors due to the reading falling between two scale marks, or

o Perhaps errors due to the insertion of a cold thermometer into a hot liquid,

lowering the temperature of the liquid and so altering the temperature being

measured.

True Value (or Actual Value) Vt

■ The actual magnitude of an input signal to a measuring system is termed as true value

(or actual value) Vt.

■ An instrumentation system for making measurements has an input of the true value

of the variable being measured and an output of the measured value. This output

might be then used in a control system to control the variable to some set value.

■ It is almost impossible to determine experimentally the true value because the true

value is not indicated by any measurement system due to the existence of

measurement errors.

__________________________________________________________________________ 4
 ME 306 Chapter 2. CHARACTERISTICS OF INSTRUMENTS

The Instrument Range

■ The range of an instrument defines the region

between the lower and upper limits within which an

instrument is designed to operate for measuring,

indicating, or recording a physical quantity.

■ The range is defined by the minimum and maximum

values of a quantity that the instrument is designed to

measure, and it is expressed by stating the lower and

upper values.

■ If the highest point of the calibrated scale is Smax units

while the lowest point of the calibrated scale is Smin units and that the scale is

continuous between thee points, then we say that “the instrument range is between

Smin and Smax.”

■ For example: a resistance thermometer having a range of -200 ͦ C to +800 ͦ C.

__________________________________________________________________________ 5
 ME 306 Chapter 2. CHARACTERISTICS OF INSTRUMENTS

The Instrument Span (or Full-Scale Deflection f.s.d.)

■ The span (or Full-Scale deflection f.s.d.) represents the

algebraic difference between the upper and lower

range values of the instrument. The instrument span

is given by;

Span or full-scale deflection (f.s.d) = Smax - Smin

■ Examples:

(i) Range: 2 kN/m2 to 50 kN/m2 →→→ Span (or f.s.d.) = 50- 2 =48 kN/m2

(ii) Range : -5°C to 90°C →→→ Span (or f.s.d.) = 90- (-5) = 95°C.

__________________________________________________________________________ 6