MEASUREMENT OF MECHANICAL STRESSES USING PIEZOELECTRIC CRYSTALS

THIS RESEARCH PROGRAM WAS INITIATED WITH A FEASIBILITY STUDY ON THE POSSIBLE USES OF PIEZOELECTRIC CERAMIC MATERIALS FOR THE MEASUREMENT OF MECHANICAL ENERGIES RELATED TO HIGHWAY PROBLEMS. THIS INTEREST WAS GENERATED BECAUSE MODERN MAN-MADE PIEZOELECTRIC CERAMIC MATERIALS EXHIBIT THE PROPERTY OF GENERATING AN ELECTRICAL SIGNAL OF CONSIDERABLE MAGNITUDE WHEN MECHANICAL STRESSES ARE APPLIED TO THE CRYSTAL. UPON COMPLETION OF THE FUNDAMENTAL STUDY IT WAS EVIDENT THAT PIEZOELECTRIC CERAMIC TRANSDUCERS COULD BE USED TO MEASURE MECHANICAL FORCES IN VARIOUS APPLICATIONS TO HIGHWAY PROBLEMS. THE CHOICE WAS MADE TO DEVELOP EQUIPMENT FOR THE MEASUREMENT OF VEHICULAR TRAFFIC ON RIGID HIGHWAYS. A UNIT WAS DESIGNED AND CONSTRUCTED TO MEASURE TRAFFIC DENSITY. THIS UNIT IS REFERRED TO AS PROTOTYPE I. A SECOND UNIT, PROTOTYPE II WAS DEVELOPED TO WEIGH EACH INDIVIDUAL AXLE OF A PASSING VEHICLE AND SUMMARIZE THESE SIGNALS FOR THE TOTAL WEIGHT OF THE VEHICLE. PROTOTYPE I HAS BEEN COMPLETED AND LABORATORY AND LIMITED FIELD TESTS HAVE BEEN CONDUCTED. PROTOTYPE II HAS BEEN BUILT BUT NO TESTS HAVE BEEN CONDUCTED.

• Corporate Authors:

  Ohio State University, Columbus

  Engineering Experiment Station, 2070 Neil Avenue
  Columbus, OH  United States  43210
• Authors:
  • Mcmaster, R C
  • Rhoten, M L
• Publication Date: 1972-12

Media Info

• Pagination: 45 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Highway traffic; Measurement; Measuring instruments; Piezoelectric materials; Rock crystals; Stresses; Traffic density; Weight measurement
• Old TRIS Terms: Piezoelectric crystals; Vehicular traffic
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00227544
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Federal Highway Administration
• Report/Paper Numbers: Final Rept
• Files: TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: May 7 1974 12:00AM