Experimental and Finite Element Analysis of an ElectroMechanical Pressure Sensor

In this paper, experimental and analytical investigations have been made on a pressure sensor of bourdon kind which has been designed and manufactured by the authors of this article. This sensor, which is manufactured by a Tube hydroforming process without die, is in the form of a twisted hollow bar and during its performance, fluid pressure is applied to it and corresponding to its specific shape and mechanical constraints, its free end has a rotational movement, whose magnitude is the base of this sensor’s performance. In this paper, the magnitude of this rotation is measured using a laser tester experimentally and modeling the bourdon in ABAQUS and applying the loading and boundary conditions in its elastic range of performance, analytical magnitudes of rotation are calculated and compared with experimental results, which are in good agreement. Besides, another objective of this research has been investigating the possibility of designing and manufacturing of sensors operating in different pressure ranges with making changes only in the bourdon dimensions. In order to achieve this goal, parametric finite element investigations have been made on different parameters like thickness, material and bourdon pitch and their effects on the sensor output, using FEM.

Keywords:

pressure sensor , finite element method , parametric investigation , bourdon , experimental studies