School of Engineering & Materials Science DEN5109: Engineering Instrumentation Worksheet 1

1.

A linear potentiometer is used to measure displacement. The potentiometer has a total resistance of 400 and a length of 25 mm. Resistance along the length of the potentiometer is linear. Calculate the output voltage for a displacement of 13 mm is the circuit shown below. The voltage is measured with a meter that has a resistance of 10k. What will be the apparent voltage measured by this meter and the current through the meter.

350 10 V 25 mm 13 mm

400

2.

In the voltage divider circuit below, Vout is measured to be 6V. Calculate the resistance of resistor R.
100

10 V

Vout

200

80

3.

Calculate the current through each of the resistors in the following circuit.
100 + 10 V

180

300

500

A parallel combination of a 200 and 120 resistor are placed in branch 2 (underneath the 300 resistor). Recalculate the supply current .

4.

The bridge circuit below is used to determine the output of a resistive thermometer. The output is the voltage measured between terminals 1 and 2. Each resistor RB in the bridge has a resistance of 200 , and at 0C the thermometer also has a resistance of 200 . The thermometer has a linear coefficient with temperature of 0.004 /C. Calculate the output voltage when the temperature of the gauge is 100C.

RB

RT

RB

RB

5.

The bridge circuit from question 3 is now adapted for use with a silver wire thermometer. In this instance, the three resistors RB are all 10 and the silver wire thermometer has a resistivity of 1.63 /cm at 18 C. The linear temperature coefficient for silver a1= 0.0038/-C for temperatures between 0C and 50C. If the silver wire has a circular cross-section of radius 0.05mm, and its length is 50 mm, calculate the resistance if the thermometer is used to measure a normal body temperature of 32 C and the output of the bridge.

6.

Three capacitors having capacitances of 3, 4 and 10 F respectively are connected in series across a 300 V supply. Calculate the potential difference across each capacitor and the charge on each capacitor. If these three capacitors were then reconnected in parallel to each other, calculate the potential difference across each capacitor and the charge on each capacitor in this circuit.

7.

The graph above shows a typical calibration curve for a thermistor. The sensitivity to temperature change is high. Estimate the linear range and sensitivity of the transducer? Can you identify a limitation of the thermistor from this calibration curve? Define two other transducer characteristics that are importance to consider when selecting a transducer, explaining what they are, and why they must be considered.

8.

A strain gauge with a gauge factor of 2.3 is used to measure strains within a steel support bar. At room temperature (20C) and under no strain, the gauge resistance is 100 . It is placed in a balanced bridge with a 5V supply in this condition. The bar is strained by 0.5%. Calculate the output of the bridge. The strain gauge has to function under a wide range of temperature conditions, so is temperature compensated using a second gauge. The temperature sensitivity of the gauges is 0.05 / C. If the bar was strained to 1% and the temperature rose to 50C what would the strain gauge resistance be, and what would the output of the bridge be?

9.

Diaphragm pressure transducers are a popular and effective way of measuring pressures. Using sketches and equations, describe the series of steps (or relationships) through which a diaphragm pressure transducer functions. There is more than one type of sensing element than can be used with the diaphragm, briefly describe two different sensing elements which could be utilized.

10. Sketch a typical mass-spring transducer for measuring acceleration, describing how it functions and showing the necessary equations by which it determines acceleration. Identify a key limitation of this type of acceleration transducer, and identify another type of acceleration transducer, which overcomes this difficulty. 11. A 220 V shunt-connected DC machine has an armature resistance of 0.5 . If the full-load armature current is 20 A, find the induced e.m.f when the machine acts (i) as a generator and (ii) as a motor. (Consider shunt current negligible). 12. A 440 V shunt-connected DC motor has an armature resistance of 0.8 and a field resistance of 200 . Determine the back e.m.f when giving an output of 7.46 kW at 85 per cent efficiency. 13. A permanent magnet DC motor has an armature resistance of 0.5 and when a voltage of 120 V is applied o the motor it reaches a steady-state speed of rotation of 20 rev/s and draws 40 A. What will be (a) the power loss in the armature and (b) the power input to the motor?

14. Sketch the Torque: Speed graph for a DC motor and use it to obtain expressions for the motor starting torque and the motor no-load speed in terms of motor parameters and the supply voltage, neglecting friction effects.

15. A permanent-magnet DC motor is operated with a supply voltage of 150 volts. It has a no-load speed of 100 rad/sec and a stalled torque of 25.0 Nm. The armature resistance is measured as 5 ohms. Determine the torque constant and back e.m.f. constant, ( K T and K E ). The same motor is now employed as a generator with a resistive load of 5 ohms. Calculate the electrical power dissipated in the load and the mechanical driving torque when the generator speed is 80 rad/sec.