Piezoelectric Acceloerometers

Piezoelectric sensors have a wide frequency response. After all, piezo sensors are used in applications ranging from sensing the low frequencies of a bass guitar to sensing and transmitting the high frequencies of an ultrasonic device. This means the performance of piezoelectric accelerometers over a broad frequency range is unsurpassed by other accelerometer technology currently on the market.

Piezoelectric sensors are intrinsically stable over wide temperature ranges. This characteristic enables piezo accelerometers to be used comfortably in applications where competing technologies would quickly fail. Some of our piezo accelerometers can operate at temperatures as high as 160 °C (320 °F). This allows them to be mounted directly to many types of industrial machinery without the need for cooling.

Our piezo accelerometers are intrinsically robust. This is due to their solid-state design and our extraordinary manufacturing expertise acquired since our beginning in 1986.

When you tell us about your intended application, our engineers will make every effort to ensure you receive a satisfactory product — a product that meets or exceeds the requirements of your intended application.

For all practical purposes, our piezoelectric accelerometers output voltages that are linear and proportional to measured rates of acceleration. This greatly simplifies signal conditioning and even allows signal conditioning electronics to be placed a considerable distance away from the accelerometer. We also have the skill and expertise necessary to implement signal conditioning hardware to satisfy unique customer expectations.

Engine manufacturers are constantly facing challenges related to the control of engine parameters. Under the wrong circumstances, gasoline engines are susceptible to an undesirable phenomenon known as detonation. When detonation occurs, the air/fuel charge explodes instead of burning smoothly — and this damages the engine.

Historically, most manufacturers designed engines with conservative operational margins at the expense of efficiency to avoid this notorious problem. However, with the development of better control systems, the relevant engine parameters may be adjusted in real time to maximize efficiency and power. If detonation begins to occur, engine knock sensors can sense the detonation before it becomes problematic so control systems can make the required adjustments. Our piezo accelerometers are particularly suited for engine knock sensors given their intrinsic thermal stability and high frequency response.

Piezoelectric accelerometers are often employed in vibration analysis of machinery. Under some circumstances, engineers may want to continuously monitor the vibrations of one or more pieces of equipment in an attempt to predict costly failures before they occur. In other cases, a customer may be concerned about minimizing equipment noise. They want to implement monitoring so excessive noise can be detected before becoming problematic.

Shock Pulse Monitoring (SPM) of motor bearings is a relatively recent technique employed for monitoring health and lubrication of bearings. Whenever metal-to-metal contact occurs within a bearing during equipment operation, shock pulses are generated as the metal surfaces collide.

Healthy bearings exhibit relatively few high-amplitude shock pulses amidst a plethora of low amplitude shock pulses. Bearings that are near the ends of their lives or living on “borrowed time” exhibit a large number of high-amplitude shock pulses. This is because metal surfaces are colliding more forcefully and more frequently than they would otherwise be in a healthy bearing.

In a typical SPM installation, a piezo sensor is mounted on or near the bearing housing, and an instrument is connected to monitor the output. Using digital signal processing techniques, the ratio of high-amplitude shock pulses to low-amplitude shock pulses can be monitored and interpreted to indicate bearing health. Under some circumstances, industrial facilities that employ many pieces of rotating equipment may elect to continuously monitor the shock pulses. This allows them to predict failures in advance and avoid costly downtime.

Airplanes, spacecraft, submarines, and various forms of weaponry rely extensively on inertial navigation that enables them to navigate precisely using advanced forms of dead reckoning. The intrinsic ruggedness and thermal stability of our piezoelectric accelerometers will help your machine function satisfactorily in harsh environments with extreme temperatures.

Autonomous aircraft utilize accelerometers extensively to monitor their stability and position.

Equipment shock and impact testing necessitates a robust and reliable means of measuring sustained shock. Often, tests of this nature are repeated multiple times and the relevant sensors need to withstand repeated abuse. The wide operational range and durability of our accelerometers make them ideal candidates for these types of applications.

Recent changes in automotive safety standards now mandate the addition of vehicle stability control to all passenger vehicles manufactured for sale in the United States. One safety-critical component for any stability control system is an accurate and reliable array of accelerometers.

Seismic sensors require particularly sensitive and rugged accelerometers to be effective, since sensors can be buried beneath the ground in remote locations for years at a time.

Security devices often utilize accelerometers to sense movement, jarring, or impact to objects of interest.

A wide variety of automation applications require accelerometers for various reasons.

You can use piezoelectric products to gain technical advantages in your field. Contact us to learn how our customers are performing research and development with APC International products.