Comparative Analysis of the Characteristics of Various Piezoelectric Pressure Transducers

A comparative analysis of the characteristics of various piezoelectric transducers for measuring pulse pressures was performed. Their sensitivity and response time were determined, and the effects of the steady-state temperature and pulsed heat flows on the measurement results were investigated. The conditions for the linearity of characteristics under the experimental conditions were established. The conditions were determined for observing the “thermal zero drift,” which characterized the influence of thermal heating on the output data of pressure transducers. The investigations were carried out in a shock tube, at a special calibration test bench, and at a test bench that generated the stepwise pulse of the radiant heat flow.