LVDT Measurement Trainer

Table of contents

1. Introduction 2. Technical Specifications 3. Front Panel Controls 4. Operating Instructions

INTRODUCTION
Linear variable differential transformers (LVDT) are used to measure displacement. LVDTs operate on the principle of a transformer. As shown in Figure 2, an LVDT consists of a coil assembly and a core. The coil assembly is typically mounted to a stationary form, while the core is secured to the object whose position is being measured. The coil assembly consists of three coils of wire wound on the hollow form. A core of permeable material can slide freely through the center of the form. The inner coil is the primary, which is excited by an AC source as shown. Magnetic flux produced by the primary is coupled to the two secondary coils, inducing an AC voltage in each coil

The main advantage of the LVDT transducer over other types of displacement transducer is the high degree of robustness. Because there is no physical contact across the sensing element, there is no wear in the sensing element. Because the device relies on the coupling of magnetic flux, an LVDT can have infinite resolution. Therefore the smallest fraction of movement can be detected by suitable signal conditioning hardware, and the resolution of the transducer is solely determined by the resolution of the data acquisition system. An LVDT measures displacement by associating a specific signal value for any given position of the core. This association of a signal value to a position occurs through electromagnetic coupling of an AC excitation signal on the primary winding to the core and back to the secondary windings. The position of the core determines how tightly the signal of the primary coil is coupled to each of the secondary coils. The two secondary coils are series-opposed, which means wound in series but in opposite directions. This results in the two signals on each secondary being 180 deg out of phase. Therefore phase of the output signal determines direction and its amplitude, distance. Figure depicts a cross-sectional view of an LVDT. The core causes the magnetic field generated by the primary winding to be coupled to the secondaries. When the core is centered perfectly between both secondaries and the primary, as shown, the voltage induced in each secondary is equal in amplitude and 180 deg out of phase. Thus the LVDT output (for the series-opposed connection shown in this case) is zero because the voltages cancel each other.

Signal Conditioning for LVDTs

Because the output of an LVDT is an AC waveform, it has no polarity. The magnitude of the output of an LVDT increases regardless of the direction of movement from the electrical zero position. In order to know in which half of the device the center of the core is located, one must consider the phase of the output as well as the magnitude as compared to the AC excitation source on the primary winding. The output phase is compared with the excitation phase and it can be either in or out of phase with the excitation source, depending upon which half of the coil the center of the core is in. The signal conditioning electronics must combine information on the phase of the output with information on the magnitude of the output, so the user can know the direction the core has moved as well as how far from the electrical zero position it has moved. LVDT signal conditioners generate a sinusoidal signal as an excitation source for the primary coil. This signal is typically between 50 Hz and 25 kHz. The carrier frequency is generally selected to be at least 10 times greater than the highest expected frequency of the core motion.[1] The signal conditioning circuitry synchronously demodulates the secondary output signal with the same primary excitation source. The resulting DC voltage is proportional to core displacement. The polarity of the DC voltage indicates whether the displacement is toward or away from the first secondary (displacement left or right). Figure shows a practical detection scheme, typically provided as a single integrated circuit (IC) manufactured specifically for LVDTs. The system contains a signal generator for the primary, a phase-sensitive detector (PSD) and amplifier/filter circuitry.

Broad ranges of LVDTs are available with linear ranges from at least 50 cm down to 1 mm. The time response is dependent on the equipment to which the core is connected. The units of an LVDT measurement are typically in mV/V/mm or mV/V/in. This indicates that for every volt of stimulation applied to the LVDT there is a definite feedback in mV per unit distance. A carefully manufactured LVDT can provide an output linear within 0.25% over a range of core motion, with very fine resolution. The resolution is limited primarily by the ability of signal conditioning hardware to measure voltage changes.

THE SETUP: The LVDT Trainer setup comprises of +/- 10mm with Micrometer jig fitted on the base plate to give displacement to the core of LVDT. The sensor will be connected to the instrument with patch chord. Two knobs will be provided in the front panel ZERO and CAL. DISPLAY UNIT: The display unit comprises of inbuilt power supply, signal conditioner, amplifier and Analog to Digital converter. The power supply provides power for signal conditioning and amplifiers, ADC and also for strain gauge excitation. The system provides front panel bridge balancing through potentiometer adjustment. The instrument is calibrated to read the displacement directly in mm. The whole system is self-contained with all accessories included. The instrument provided with all necessary test points are brought out with schematic circuitry for understanding the working of the instrument. The system operates on 230V AC Supply. SPECIFICATION RANGE : +/- 10.0 mm. EXCITATION VOLTAGE : 1 to 4 kHz at 1 to 2V RMS LINEARITY : 1% OPERATING TEMPERATURE : +10 0 C to 55 0 C DISPLACEMENT INDICATOR DISPLAY : 3 1 / 2 digit seven segment red LED display of range 200mV for full scale deflection to read +/- 1999 counts. EXCITATION VOLTAGE : 5000 Hz at 1V RMS OPERATING TEMPERATURE : +10 0 C to +55 0 C ZERO ADJUSTMENT : Front panel through Potentiometer. CALIBRATION : Front Panel through Potentiometer. SENSITIVITY : 0.1mm SYSTEM INACCURACY : 1% REPEATABILITY : 1% FUSE : 250mA fast glow type. POWER : 230 V +/- 10 %, 50 Hz.

Operating instructions

1.Connect the multi meter at the LVDT output with multimeter in DC VOLTAGE mode and 20 V Range. 2. Connect this LVDT output also to display section. 3. Now Set the Screw Gauge at 10mm position. 4. Adjust the OFFSET Control in the LVDT Section and now the lvdt output must be zero volts in the multimeter. 5. Next Set the Screw Gauge at 20 mm position and adjust the gain control potientiometer to read 1.00 volts in the multimeter. 6. Now move the screw gauge to zero position. Measure the multimeter readings, it must be 0 volt. 7. Repeat the above procedure once again. 8. Now move the screw Gauge to 0 mm position and the readings must be -1.00 v 7. Note down the readings by Tabular column as;

SL.NO:

SCREW GAUGE SETTINGS 0 5 mm 10 mm 15 mm 20 mm

MULTIMETER VOLTS ....................... ....................... ........................ ........................ ........................

DISPLAY READINGS in mm ............................ ........................... ........................... ........................... ...........................

% Error

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

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Manual for

LVDT Measurement Trainer

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