Program Objectives

The Measurement System Engineering program provides today's engineering professionals with a proven method to understand, design, interpret, and use measurement systems for testing and control applications. The uniqueness of the course can be found in the fact that it is based upon a Unified Approach to measurement system design developed over a 60-year period. It is intended for:

(1) the senior technicians and engineers who want to learn about transducers and their application, transducer physics, and measurement system design,

(2) the experienced practitioners who want to hone their skills in data analysis, participate in case studies, and interact with peers possessing a great deal of knowledge in various measurement disciplines,

(3) the analysts or managers who must look at test data and make decisions about its suitability for their application, and

(4) the calibration laboratory staff responsible for assessing and assigning sensitivities to measurement system components.

This Short Course is geared toward individuals involved with making measurements for industry, government, or educational institutions. If the products or services you provide depend to any extent on the output from on measurement systems, you will benefit from the Measurement System Engineering Short Course.

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Program Content

After establishing the rationale for measuring, illustrative case studies are presented to initiate discussion. These studies enable the measurement problem and its associated challenges to be presented with clarity. Since many measurements are performed to ascertain the characteristics of structural systems, a brief introduction to structural dynamics and its associated modeling is provided. The basic input-output relationships for measurement systems making static and/or dynamic measurements (linearity, amplitude-frequency, phase-frequency relationships) are next clarified by theory and reinforced by practical applications. An understanding of these input-output relationships enables us to develop and comprehend models for transducers measuring motion types, thermal stimuli, strain, static and dynamic pressure, acoustics, and more.

We then discuss the time and frequency characteristics of measured signals as well as signal digitization to include effects of sampling rate, bit-resolution, and aliasing. Data filters are typically used to solve the aliasing problem. Clear guidance is provided to enable an understanding of the various filter types, their design, and their proper selection for a given application.

We continue to incorporate “real world” examples throughout this teaching. The fundamental sensing technologies (piezoelectricity, piezoresistive (MEMS), variable capacitive, metal film, thermoelectric, etc.) are then described enabling an understanding of their signal conditioning amplifiers. Techniques for both calibration of the various transducers and end-to-end calibration of the entire measurement system are shown. Data validation becomes the next significant topic. This encompasses development of techniques to determine the extent to which any signal is contaminated by noise and the identification of methods to suppress this noise. Once techniques are developed to acquire noise free data, “back of the envelope” guidelines are provided to assess the adequacy of the measurement system to transmit these data. This entire process is what comprises data validation.

We then look at some of the uses of these data in the design process. Proper techniques for interfacing the transducer to the physical phenomenon to be measured are next shown as well as cabling of the transducer. We now can begin to create an embryo of a measurement system check list. Next we describe thermocouple theory, consideration of which also enables us to quickly locate sources of undesired thermal emfs in our measurement systems.

A complete module on strain measurement and associated Wheatstone bridge circuitry is then provided along with a brief history of the development of the strain gage. A video summarizes course highlights by documenting a well conducted laboratory test illustrating course teachings. Finally, a brief look at futuristic trends in measurement systems is provided. While many specifics are taught, this course is not intended to focus on the differences between various measurements but rather the commonality of measurement system design. Displayed hardware maintains a practical focus.

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Program Participants

The program participants encompass numerous organizations. Dr. Walter’s personal schedule allows it to be taught 4-6 times annually. Contracted class sizes have varied between 10 and 40 students. Included among the sponsoring organizations of TCU’s Measurement System Engineering program are:

Aerospace Engineering Test Establishment, Cold Lake, Alberta, Canada; Ariel Corporation, Vernon, OH; Edwards AFB, Palmdale, CA; Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA; Lockheed Aeronautics, Fort Worth, TX; NAVAIR, Patuxent River, MD; Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM; Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore, CA; The Boeing Corporation, Everett, WA; The Boeing Corporation, Renton, WA; U. S. Army Munitions Plant, McAlester, OK and many more...

Several of these organizations have established this program as a standard part of their employee development programs, and have contracted it 6-8 times. Abbreviated presentations of this material have been made at over 100 locations throughout the U. S., Canada, Europe, and Far East. Test and measurement activities at a few of the represented industries are illustrated below.

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