High sensitivity piezoelectric sensors using flexible PZT thick-film for shock tube pressure testing

Abstract With excellent electromechanical performance and flexibility, piezoelectric lead zirconate titanate (PZT) thick-film fabricated by tape-casting processing has been considered as sensing element in pressure sensor design. The use of flexible PZT thick-film in sensors makes it possible to withstand relatively large deformation or install onto curved surfaces such as those in pipeline pressure sensing, human pulse or heart rate monitor. In this paper, the performance of PZT thick-film pressure sensors is investigated, unimorph structure of pressure sensor was designed and fabricated, and the relationship between generated voltage signals to applied pressures of the model has been analyzed theoretically. Blast wave pressure test was conducted using shock tube setup to test its sensing ability in response to air pressure loading. Different sized sensors were tested and showed nearly linear relationship to blast pressure in the experimental conditions. The voltage sensitivities of the sensor samples tested are several times higher than a commercial pressure sensor.

[1]  Wen-Jong Wu,et al.  Flexible PZT Thin Film Tactile Sensor for Biomedical Monitoring , 2013, Sensors.

[2]  J McLaughlin,et al.  Piezoelectric sensor determination of arterial pulse wave velocity. , 2003, Physiological measurement.

[3]  Osamu Fukuda,et al.  Flexible piezoelectric pressure sensors using oriented aluminum nitride thin films prepared on polyethylene terephthalate films , 2006 .

[4]  Jack R. Vinson,et al.  Structural mechanics: The behavior of plates and shells , 1974 .

[5]  Tushar Sharma,et al.  A thin-film piezoelectric PVDF-TrFE based implantable pressure sensor using lithographic patterning , 2011, 2011 IEEE 24th International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems.

[6]  William W. Clark,et al.  Analysis of piezoelectric circular diaphragm energy harvesters for use in a pressure fluctuating system , 2010 .

[7]  N. Bu,et al.  A Flexible Piezoelectric Film Sensor for Fault Diagnosis of Pipe Systems , 2007, IECON 2007 - 33rd Annual Conference of the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society.

[8]  Sigurd Wagner,et al.  Flexible membrane pressure sensor , 2005 .

[9]  M. Keck.  A new approach of a piezoelectric vibration-based power generator to supply next generation tire sensor systems , 2007, 2007 IEEE Sensors.

[10]  Lifeng Qin,et al.  Fabrication and characterization of thick-film piezoelectric lead zirconate titanate ceramic resonators by tape-casting , 2012, IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, and Frequency Control.

[11]  S. A. Gangal,et al.  Piezoelectric Sensor for Human Pulse Detection , 2007 .

[12]  Shaochen Chen,et al.  Analytical analysis of a circular PZT actuator for valveless micropumps , 2003 .