High performances of calibration systems for vibration and acoustic sensors to be used in laboratory applications can be achieved only with adequate vibration or shock exciters and other sub-systems, too. Leading manufacturers such as SPEKTRA have recognized the need for the design and development of improved and new techniques, in particular for generating rectilinear vibration and shock motion. Special hardware, software and system concepts have been jointly developed for the mass production of MEMS. Since in sensor production and some metrological applications extreme requirements for sine and shock levels and frequency ranges have to be met, SPEKTRA has decided to design special exciters of their own. The paper will present new designs, measurement results and examples of applications to calibration systems. The extended capabilities of the High-frequency vibration exciter SE-09 with air bearing will be discussed in more detail. Applications to primary and secondary calibration systems will be demonstrated and measurement results will be given. For the High-shock exciters of types HOP-S and HOP-P, theoretical considerations of how to scale up their shock acceleration peak values without compromising highest quality signal waveforms and excellent stability of mechanical excitation will be discussed and compared with practical measurement results. The refined laser interferometer techniques used for the accredited calibration laboratory of SPEKTRA as well as for the commercial calibration systems of SPEKTRA will be presented. Finally an outlook on further developments of vibration and shock exciters for use in calibration and sensor production will be given.

Date Published: 17 June 2008
PDF: 13 pages
Proc. SPIE 7098, Eighth International Conference on Vibration Measurements by Laser Techniques: Advances and Applications, 70981I (17 June 2008); doi: 10.1117/12.803188

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 7098:
Eighth International Conference on Vibration Measurements by Laser Techniques: Advances and Applications
Enrico Primo Tomasini, Editor(s)