PCB’s reservation only class to be held at Aerospace Testing, Design & Manufacturing Expo
 Dr. Patrick Walter, professor of engineering at TCU and senior measurement specialist at PCB Piezotronics will facilitate “What Every Data User Needs to Know about Flight Test Instrumentation Systems.” |
Show organizers of Aerospace Testing, Design & Manufacturing Expo Munich, in cooperation with PCB Piezotronics’ Aerospace & Defense division, are offering the two-hour, reservation-only master class: “What Every Data User Needs to Know about Flight Test Instrumentation Systems.” The class will be facilitated by Dr. Patrick Walter, professor of engineering, Texas Christian University (TCU) and senior measurement specialist at PCB Piezotronics.
The Master Class will be held April 15th, 2008, in Workshop Area A during Aerospace Testing, Manufacturing & Design Expo Europe, which runs from April 15-17, 2008, at the new Munich Trade Fair Centre in Munich, Germany.
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The class will clearly illustrate the instrumentation challenges associated with acquiring physical measurements during flight test. Dynamic and electrical models for transducers will be discussed, as well as transducer mounting influences; cable associated errors; and necessary signal conditioning considerations. Data sampling guidance for resolution and rate will be provided, along with selection criteria for anti-aliasing filters.
Once signals are recorded, unique processes will be described to enable documentation of the measurement’s system noise floor, as well as adequacy of system frequency capabilities for recorded signals. This latter process is entitled "data validation,” and is requisite for performing subsequent data accuracy analysis. Finally, a measurement system designer's checklist will be provided, as well as closing comments on the future of flight test instrumentation. Handouts will be included as well.
Instrumentation of aircraft and rockets results in voltage signals, either recorded on on-board high-density data recorders, or transmitted through space for ground recording. These voltage signals are converted into physical parameters, such as acceleration, pressure, strain, temperature, force, torque, angular rate and more through application of appropriate scaling factors. The converted signals are then presented, with some uncertainty value assigned, as "truth" regarding what occurred in flight.
To verify signals as "truth,” appropriate sensors must be selected for the measurements; sensors must respond only to the environment they were intended to measure; measurements must be unaffected by the presence of the sensor; sensors' physical coupling must not affect performance; all instrumentation component impedances must be appropriately mismatched, the instrumentation system's noise floor must be acceptably low; all instrument components must operate within their linear range; no individual component can dynamically distort the data, and instrumentation systems' filtering and digitization rate and resolution must be selected properly.
Once identified, satisfying ALL these requirements becomes a daunting task. This seminar accepts that challenge in an orderly, methodical manner, with an open classroom-style format, and a detailed overview of the types of instrumentation and related technologies utilized in this application environment.
Patrick L. Walter, Ph.D., P.E., was employed for 30 years at Sandia National Laboratories, with the majority of his tenure spent managing flight, field, and laboratory test activities. In 1995, Dr. Walter joined TCU, where he currently teaches and formerly served as engineering department chair.
At TCU, Dr. Walter continues to actively interface with the aerospace and defense communities. At PCB Piezotronics, Dr. Walter consults on dynamic force, pressure and acceleration measurement applications supporting the aerospace, defense and other industries. Dr. Walter's technical articles and papers have appeared in numerous publications. He has served on and chaired various United States Department of Defense and Department of Energy committees, is active in many professional societies, and teaches Measurement System Engineering through TCU's Extended Education Department.
The Aerospace Testing Expo Munich Flight Test Data Instrumentation Master Class is part of the overall launch of the newly formed PCB® Aerospace & Defense division. To register for the class, visit http://www.aerospacetesting.com.