Development of a Mechanical System to Dynamically Calibrate Pressure Sensors using a Vibrating Liquid Column

Abstract: This report describes a simple mechanical system developed for producing dynamic pressures of up to 50 kPa from zero-to-peak and over the frequency range 0-58 Hz. The system is constructed for dynamic calibration of pressure sensors and consists of an open tube, 30 cm in height, mounted vertically on the support plate. The support plate is connected to the vibration exciter which is driven by a piston, a connecting rod, disc and axle, and an electric motor. The pressure  sensor to be calibrated is mounted vertically at the bottom of the open tube so that the diaphragm of the sensor is in contact with the working liquid in the tube. When the system is started, the motion of the piston provides a sinusoidal movement to the open tube and calibration is achieved. The different parts of the system are designed using NX Siemens. MatLab is used to determine the results and graphs from the equations derived. The analysis shows that the displacement, velocity, and acceleration of the system are highly affected by the distance between the disc centre and the disc pin, and the rotational speed of the system. The length of the connecting rod does not affect the displacement and barely affects the velocity and acceleration of the system. The total force, torque, and power of the system is utilized to select the electric motor and the frequency inverter.