How to select the sensitivity and range of a piezoelectric accelerometer?
#news ·2025-09-23 09:28:39
How to select the sensitivity and range of a piezoelectric accelerometer?
Piezoelectric accelerometers are the primary sensors used in vibration testing. While they offer a wide measurement range, the sheer variety of accelerometers on the market can make selecting the right one challenging.
As a general guideline for selecting a vibration sensor, the correct choice should be based on analyzing and evaluating the following three aspects of the measured signal:
a. The magnitude of the vibration being measured
b. The frequency range of the vibration signal being measured
c. The vibration test site environment
The following content will further discuss the specific selection based on the above three aspects and refer to the relevant technical indicators of the sensor.
Sensor Sensitivity and Measurement Range
Sensor sensitivity is one of its basic specifications. Its sensitivity directly affects the sensor's ability to measure vibration signals. It's easy to understand that a sensor's sensitivity should be determined by the magnitude of the vibration being measured (acceleration). However, since piezoelectric accelerometers measure acceleration, and under the same displacement amplitude, the acceleration is proportional to the square of the signal's frequency, the magnitude of acceleration signals in different frequency bands can vary significantly. Low-frequency vibrations of large structures can produce quite small accelerations. For example, a signal with a displacement of 1 mm and a frequency of 1 Hz will produce only 0.04 m/s² (0.004 g). However, for high-frequency vibrations, a signal with a displacement of 0.1 mm and a frequency of 10 kHz can produce accelerations as high as 4 x 10⁵ m/s² (40,000 g). Therefore, while piezoelectric accelerometers have a wide measurement range, when measuring vibration signals at both high and low frequencies, the sensitivity of the accelerometer should be carefully considered. Commonly used piezoelectric accelerometers for vibration measurement have a sensitivity range of 50–100 mV/g for voltage output types (IEPE accelerometers) and 10–50 pC/g for charge output types.