Shock and Vibration Measurement

Analog signal conditioning for accurate shock and vibration measurements

It’s not easy to collect valid data for shock and vibration measurement​s. The measurement system itself may contaminate the spectrally rich data. To avoid clipping, the amplifier must have sufficient gain for in-band signals while leaving headroom for out-of-band signals. The signal conditioner requires a suitable slew rate to avoid signal distortion on the waveforms’ sharp edges. The low-pass filter characteristics must be thoroughly understood so the filter can faithfully pass signals of interest, attenuate transducer resonances, avoid aliasing, and, ultimately, yield valid data for time-domain waveform analysis.

 

Shock and Vibration Measurements Table

Orion shaker table, NASA Neil A. Armstrong Test Facility

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Pyroshock Filtering

Using distributed gain to avoid clipping on accelerometer resonance

Precision Filters offers signal conditioners specifically designed to maximize accuracy when measuring shock and vibration. Three amplifiers—the 28144, 28304, and 28608B—all feature a high slew rate, wide bandwidth, and sharp programmable filters. Gain is distributed before and after the filter, so you can attenuate the resonant frequency of the sensor before amplification of the in-band signal. This optimizes signal-to-noise ratio for pyroshock measurements. Equipped with Precision’s Flat/Pulse filter technology, these amplifiers provide outstanding response for both time-domain and frequency-domain applications.  REZCOMP™ sensor resonance compensation technology increases sensor bandwidth without affecting rise time.

Testing for shock is expensive, and you often have just one chance to get it right. Precision Filters builds confidence into your shock and vibration measurement​ system with automated tests that verify sensor and cable health along with real-time monitoring for pre-filter overload detection to ensure your shock data is valid and defendable.

Read on to learn more about the application of PFI technology to measuring shock.

Amplifiers for Shock and Vibration

Precision Filters’ suite of conditioning cards for shock measurement provides solutions for strain and bridge sensors (28144), charge and IEPE accelerometers (28304), and low-level voltage inputs (28608B).

28144 Strain/Bridge Conditioner

  • 4 channels/card,
    64 channels/system
  • Excitation: Balanced Constant Current™
    or constant voltage
  • REZCOMP™ technology to extend frequency response of accelerometer, microphone and pressure sensor measurements

28304 Charge/IEPE Conditioner 28144 Strain/Bridge Conditioner w/ LDTEDS™

  • 4 channels/card,
    64 channels/system
  • Dual mode: IEPE or charge
  • REZCOMP™ technology to extend frequency response of accelerometer, microphone and pressure sensor measurements

28608B Programmable Filter/Amplifier

  • 8 channels/card,
    128 channels/system
  • Input: balanced differential with AC/DC coupling

28000 Signal Conditioning System

28000 Signal Conditioners

The 28000 System makes it easy to manage a test with up to 256 channels of fully programmable transducer conditioning. Choose a mix of bridge, charge, IEPE w/TEDS, voltage (filter/amplifier), strain, thermocouple, RTD/potentiometer, frequency or other transducers.

  • Mix up to 256 channels of fully programmable transducer conditioning
  • Choose from 4- or 8-pole programmable filters
  • Choice of 4-, 8- or 16-slot chassis
  • Ethernet network interface
  • Automated factory acceptance and go/no-go tests for system verification