In theory, shock tubes provide a pressure change with a very fast rise time and calculable amplitude. This pressure step could provide the basis for the calibration of pressure transducers used in highly dynamic applications. However, conventional metal shock tubes can be expensive, unwieldy and difficult to modify. We describe the development of a 1.4 MPa (maximum pressure) shock tube made from unplasticized polyvinyl chloride pressure tubing which provides a low-cost, light and easily modifiable basis for establishing a method for determining the dynamic characteristics of pressure sensors.

This paper focuses on the mathematical modelling required to support the development of new primary standard systems for traceable calibration of dynamic pressure sensors. We address two fundamentally different approaches to realising primary standards, specifically the shock tube method and the drop-weight method. Focusing on the shock tube method, the paper presents first results of system identification and discusses future experimental work that is required to improve the mathematical and statistical models. We use simulations to identify differences between the shock tube and drop-weight methods, to investigate sources of uncertainty in the system identification process and to assist experimentalists in designing the required measuring systems. We demonstrate the identification method on experimental results and draw conclusions.

Abstract. Nine european national metrology institutes (NMIs) are collaborating in a new project funded by the european metrology research programme (EMRP) to establish traceable dynamic measurement of the mechanical quantities force, pressure, and torque. The aim of this joint research project (JRP) is to develop appropriate calibration methods, mathematical models, and uncertainty evaluation. The duration of the project is 3 years for a global amount of e3.6 million. It began in September 2011.

Abstract:The industrial Brinell hardness test has been in common use for over 100 years. The test is defined by standardized procedures stating that the Brinell hardness number is proportional to the test force divided by the surface area of the indentation. The test procedures require that the surface area be determined by measuring the indentation diameter after removing the test force. This measurement is usually made using an optical microscope, but without having a physical definition of the indentation edge. This paper proposes a physical definition of the indentation edge such that the Brinell indentation diameter can be unambiguously measured.

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This paper describes the characterisation of the dynamic response of a range of pressure transducer systems. The transducers were subjected to virtually instantaneous pressure step inputs in the National Physical Laboratory’s shock tube facilities. The magnitudes of these pressure steps were derived from ideal gas theory, with prior commissioning tests having been performed to demonstrate the theory’s validity in this application. The results demonstrate a significant variation in response obtained from various combinations of transducer, instrumentation settings, and mounting arrangement.