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DESIGN ENGINEERING

For demanding applications

TEST AND MEASUREMENT

THE WORLD'S LARGEST PIEZOELECTRIC 3-COMPONENT FORCE SENSOR, DEVELOPED BY KISTLER, MEETS
THE NEEDS OF SOME OF THE MOST DEMANDING TESTING APPLICATIONS IN SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT

ith a measuring range of up to 450kN in the
Z axis and 100kN in the X and Y axes,
Kistler says its Type 9397C 3-component
Wforce sensor offers a unique measuring
capacity. This, said to be the largest sensor
of its type in the world, is the
ideal choice for large-scale
measurement tasks such as
capturing impact forces in
crash tests. The Swiss
pioneer of piezoelectric
measurement technology
specialises in ready-to-use
custom solutions that can
also cope with extremely
high measurement ranges.
Kistler piezoelectric 3-
component force sensors are
used to measure dynamic and
quasistatic tensile and
compression forces, especially
where small variations need to be
detected. Being very rigid, the high natural frequencies
makes the measurement of the smallest dynamic changes
to very large forces in all three directions with high
precision and excellent reliability. The sensors are fully
calibrated and pre- loaded on delivery and can be installed
straight from the box.

Space, aerospace and rail
Typical applications include aircraft landing gear, a high
speed train crash wall and spacecraft payloads. An aircraft
landing gear drop test simulates the forces acting on the
landing gear as the aircraft lands on the runway. In this
test, the entire landing gear is
raised to a specified height, the
wheel accelerated and dropped
onto a dynamometer of four
sensors for simultaneous measure-
ments of the forces up to 900kN Fz
and 400kN Fx/y.
When it comes to train crash
testing, a unique crash wall for
high speed trains installed in China (Above) Aircraft landing gear drop test – image courtesy of NASA
in 2017 has a measuring range 20 (Left) Vibration and shock test rig for space payloads
times greater than the crash walls
used by the automotive industry. It excessive forces. To achieve this, 3-component force
is a further application for the new sensors are integrated on the interface between the shaker
Kistler sensor. and the payload.
Spacecraft payloads such as telescopes and electronic flight, vibration and shock test rigs are used to simulate The unique Type 9397C 3-component force sensor
instruments are subjected to strong quasistatic and the vibration levels during the load tests. The force-limited from Kistler simplifies high impact and vibration
mechanical-dynamic forces during the test phases of vibration testing method is used to restrict the force testing in a wide variety of applications.
space flight programs. To qualify the structures for space applied and prevent damage to payloads because of MORE INFORMATION: www.kistler.com

May/June 2020 • INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY 31