Dams are remarkable civil engineering accomplishments that provide vital resources such as electricity and irrigation. In fact, most of the southwestern United States depends greatly on the power from the Hoover Dam. However amazing and sturdy as these structures are, they are actually constantly moving in very minuscule amounts of tilt. To be certain a dam is…
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36 years ago, Mt. St. Helens erupted as the most devastating volcano in the history of the United States. Volcanologists were able to detect and analyze the phenomenon by using high-precision instruments to capture the mountain’s fluctuation prior to eruption. Electrolytic tiltmeters are used in many places to manage the health of infrastructure and monitor geological hazards. 1. Volcanic…
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MEMS has emerged as a cost-effective and high precision solution to some pretty demanding projects, including many industrial applications. Its accuracy can hold up to the test, but how about its durability? Will it be able to withstand the temperature or shock of your project? Temperature Range MEMS inclinometers and accelerometers bear a favorable temperature range of…
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MEMS sensors have been a booming segment of inertial solutions for a number of applications, not just cell phones anymore. Market revenue in the industrial sector is expected to rise from $16 million in 2013 to $120 million by 2018 according to studies done by IHS. The crystal ball into the future of sensors is clearly…
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Forced balance inclinometers and accelerometers have been the flagship sensors from Jewell Instruments for over 35 years. They can be found worldwide performing under countless applications within numerous markets under a wide array of conditions. They are high precision, customizable, and produced here in the USA. Sounds nice, but what exactly makes these sensors tick? Servo motor…
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You’ve picked out the perfect electrolytic tiltmeter for your project. You ordered it to have the right amount of damping, you’ve got it properly protected from intense temperatures and you’ve successfully eliminated the tilt bias so there is nothing that can get in the way of your measurements. It’s out of the box, nestled into its respective spot, all hooked up and…
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As you conduct your quest to find your ideal tiltmeter, you have to keep in mind that each series has a varying tilt bias. To clarify, the bias is the difference between the true angle and the angle reported by the tiltmeter. For example, if you place a tilt sensor on a perfectly level surface,…
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Should this sensor be damped or not? When you’re going through the process of finding the perfect sensor for your project, damping is definitely a factor to consider. Damping is a modification that decreases a sensor’s bandwidth in order to reduce its sensitivity. That means you can get accurate tilt or motion readings without the…
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Electrolytic tiltmeters are great solutions for projects that demand high accuracy, but some models, such as the 700 and 500 series, can be a bit sensitive to extreme temperature conditions. The greatest temperature range of one of these babies is -40° to +85°C, but don’t throw the sensor out with the bath water. Here are five tried and true precautions…
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