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Data logger with acceleration sensor
What is an acceleration data logger? How can vibrations be recorded? What is an impact or shock? What methods can be used to detect damage to transported goods caused by shocks? And which MSR data logger is particularly suitable for which measurement task?
MSR Electronics GmbH addresses these and other questions in the MSR basic principles paper, which is available for download below. As a specialist in acceleration measurements, we endeavor to help you with our expertise. Of course, the following basic principles are no substitute for a personal consultation with an MSR sales consultant.
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Why is it useful to measure acceleration?
Measuring physical influences is of great interest in many applications in order to obtain information about mechanical loads and the stresses on objects such as goods, products, workpieces, parts, etc.
While the loads caused by external influences can be regarded as largely independent of the object under consideration, the resulting stresses acting on the object are directly dependent on the object under investigation and can only be described with reference to the specific object.
An important parameter in the assessment of acting stresses is the mechanical-dynamic load, i.e. the temporal progression of the acceleration acting on the object. This can be suitably measured using acceleration sensors of various types and qualities and recorded with data storage devices for further analysis.
Areas of application include transportation monitoring, fault diagnosis and load tests.
Basics of acceleration measurement
The required measuring range of a data logger must always be determined depending on the respective measuring task. As each load/object reacts in a specific way to the stress acting on it, the mechanical stresses and the actual effect on the object should always be determined experimentally using acceleration sensors during the (preferably) real load (e.g. transportation). All information in the basic paper is subject to errors and changes.
MSR Electronics GmbH holds the copyright to the basic paper and it may not be reproduced, distributed, modified or made accessible to third parties in any form - not even in part.
Contents:
- Definitions Acceleration data logger
- Acceleration measurement
- Acceleration sensors
- Position determination
- Vibration
- Shock/Shock
- Damage Boundary Curve
- Measuring rate/sampling rate/fast peak
- Measuring accelerations with the MSR145 and MSR165 data loggers
What is an acceleration logger?
A data logger with acceleration sensors is an automatic recording and measuring device that autonomously records stochastically occurring shocks or vibrations over a certain period of time in the form of unadulterated raw data. The shock and vibration data can be retrieved, viewed and analyzed after recording.
An acceleration data logger consists of acceleration sensors, a storage medium, a processor and a power supply. The sensors measure the current acceleration acting on the sensor, e.g. during a shock or vibration. The individual measurements are carried out at specific time intervals and stored with the corresponding time value. These measurement rates can be freely selected between 1 measurement every few seconds and in the high kHz range (e.g. 5 kHz - 1 measurement every 5,000-1 sec) depending on the sensor type.
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The higher the measurement rate, the finer the actual course of the acceleration event can be resolved. The disadvantage of high measurement rates is that a very high volume of data is generated, which means that the memory and performance limits of the logger may be reached quickly. In particular, the continuous measurement and processing or storage of the data requires a high power consumption, which limits the mobile operating times of the logger.
The processor in the data logger processes the measurement data and stores it on the storage medium together with the associated measurement times. This allows the data to be retrieved after the measurement, either directly on the logger or via an interface on a computer. Software displays the measurement data in tables or diagrams and offers functions for evaluating the measurement data. A common evaluation method is the acceleration-time diagram with DBC (Damage Boundary Curve).
The shock and vibration data can also be recorded based on events that fulfill certain criteria. With an event-based measurement, specific impacts that exceed a critical duration or strength can be recorded. In addition to providing a better overview for long-term measurements, this also offers the advantage that only relevant events are recorded, meaning that energy and storage capacity are used more effectively.
Acceleration data loggers usually use non-volatile storage media to store the measurement data. The measurement data is therefore retained even if the power supply fails.
Detailed information on measuring and evaluating mechanical-dynamic loads, such as transport monitoring with automatic recording devices for measuring stochastically occurring impacts, can also be found in DIN EN 15433-6, for example.[Source: Excerpts from Wikipedia, additions by MSR Electronics GmbH]
Acceleration data logger MSR165
Application examples for acceleration measurements
Determining the cause of transport damage
In globalized markets, industrial goods and goods of all kinds have to be shipped all over the world. And a lot can happen during the transportation of such goods - especially when they span several continents: High temperatures, unacceptable humidity levels or mechanical shock events are just a few examples of damage incidents that cause annoyance as well as expense. However, compact miniature data loggers can help to precisely analyze the causes of transport damage or identify those responsible.
Case study on transport monitoringOn board the F-5E "Tiger" fighter aircraft of the Swiss Air Force
The University of Zurich and the Swiss Air Force have been jointly conducting a unique research project in space medicine since 2010. The weightlessness created by flight maneuvers during regular military training flights is used for research on human cells.
Case study on acceleration in combat aircraftFall detection via smartphone for older people
A fall can cause great suffering - especially in older people. The consequences are often broken bones and an inability to move. British researchers have used MSR145 data loggers with 3-axis acceleration sensors to measure and record the signals when a human body falls.
Case study on fall detection using acceleration sensorsBlood samples in pneumatic tube transport
Pneumatic tube systems can shorten transportation times for blood samples. However, temperature, humidity, acceleration forces and pressure can affect the quality of samples during transportation. Using the MSR145 mini data logger, the G-forces were determined and it was proven that the use of a single sample pneumatic tube system does not affect the blood analysis results.
Case study on acceleration analysis for pneumatic tube transports