Tutorial 2: Transducers

Tutorial 2: Transducers

Potentiometric device
2.1 A linear resistance potentiometer is 50mm long and is uniformly wound with a wire
having a resistance 10,000ohm. Under normal conditions, the slider is at the centre of the
potentiometer.
Find the linear displacement when the resistance of the potentiometer as measured by a
Wheatstone bridge for two cases is:
a) 3850.
b) 7560.
c) Are the two displacements in the same direction?
d) If it is possible to measure a minimum value of 10, resistance with the above
arrangement, find the resolution of the potentiometer in mm.

Strain Gauge
2.2 A compressive force is applied to a structural member. The strain is 5 micro-strain.
Two separate strain gauges are attached to the structural member, one is a nickel wire
strain gauge having a gauge factor of -12.1 and the other is nichrome wire strain gauge
having a gauge factor of 2.
Calculate the value of resistance of the gauges after they are strained. The resistance of
strain gauges before being strained is 120.
(Hint: let the tensile strain taken as positive while the compressive strain is taken as
negative)

2.3 A resistance wire strain gauge with gauge factor of 2 is bonded to a steel structural
member subjected to a stress of 100 MN/m 2 . The modulus of elasticity of steel is 200
GN/m 2. Calculate the percentage change in the value of the gauge resistance due to the
applied stress. Comment upon the results.

LVDT
2.4 The output of an LDVT is connected to a 5V voltmeter through an amplifier whose
amplification factor is A=100. An output of 2mV appears across the terminals of LDVT
when the core moves through a distance of 0.5 mm.
i) Calculate the sensitivity of the LDVT and that of the whole set-up.
ii) The milli-voltmeter scale has 100 divisions. The scale can read to 1/5 of a division.
Calculate the resolution of the instrument in mm.

Thermal sensor (RTD, thermocouple, termistor)

2.5 An RTD has (20C) = 0.004/C satisfying equation:
R(T) = R(TO)[1 + (T-TO)]
i) If R=106 ohm at 20C, find the resistance at 25C.
ii) Suppose the RTD has a dissipation constant of 25mW/°C and is used in a circuit that
puts 8mA through the sensor. If the RTD is placed in a bath at 100C.
a) What resistance will the RTD have?
b) What then is the indicated temperature?

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2.6 A type J thermocouple with a 0C reference will monitor an oven temperature at
about 350C.
i) What voltage would be expected?
ii) Extension wires of 1000 ft length and 0.01 ohm/ft will be used to connect to the
measurement site. Determine the minimum voltage measurement input impedance if the
error is to be within 0.2%

2.7 A thermistor is to monitor room temperature. It has a resistance of 3.5k ohm at 20C
with a slope of -10%/°C. The dissipation constant is PD = 5mW/°C. It is proposed to use
the thermistor in the divider shown in figure to provide a voltage of 5.0 volts at 20C.
Evaluate the self-heating.

10V

3.5k

VD

Rth

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Optical Sensor (photo-electric, photo-resistive, photo-voltaic)

2.8 The relay in the Fig.2a is to be controlled by a photoconductive cell with the
characteristics shown in Fig.2b. A current of 5mA flows when the cell is illuminated with
about 400 lm/m 2, and deenergized when the cell is dark. Find
i) The required series resistance R1
ii) The level of dark current (when illumination is 7 lm/m 2)
EPM2022: Instrumentation & Control Systems Transducers

2.9 The phototransistor with characteristics shown in Figure 3(a) is used in a circuit like
that of Figure 3(b), with a 14-volt supply and a 500 collector resistance.
i) What range of Vce results from light intensity ranging from 10 to 40 W/m2?
ii) Devise a system by which the phototransistor in Figure 2(b) can be used to trigger a
comparator when the light intensity rises above 20W/m2.

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2.10 Capacitive transducers for displacement measurement working in the principle of

change of capacitance with change of area are shown below.
Find the sensitivity.
i) For parallel plate, S = C/l
ii) For cylindrical capacitor, S = C/l
iii) For 2 rotational plate capacitor, C/

2.11 During experiments with a copper-constantan thermocouple, it was found that the
effective emf of the thermocouple is given as

E  c  T1  T2   k T12  T22 
-2
where c = 3.75 X 10 mV/C
and k = 4.50 X 10-5 mV/C2
If T1 =100C and the cold junction T2 is kept in ice, compute the resultant emf.

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