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Tutorial 1 Tuesday

1.10 A force measurement system (weight scale) has the following specifications:
Range
Linearity error
Hysteresis error
Sensitivity error
Zero drift

0 to 1000 N
0.10 % FSO
0.10 % FSO
0.15 % FSO
0.20 % FSO

Estimate the overall instrument uncertainty for this system based on available information. Use
the maximum possible output value over the FSO in your computations.

1.33 When a strain gauge is stretched under uniaxial tension, its resistance varies with the
imposed strain. A resistance bridge circuit is used to convert the resistance change into a voltage.
Suppose a known tensile load were applied to a test specimen using the system shown below.
What are the independent and dependent variables in this calibration? How do these changes
during actual testing?

1.34 For the strain gauge calibration of the previous problem, what would be involved in
determining the repeatability of the instrument? The reproducibility? What effects are different in
the tests? Explain.

PROBLEM 1.10
KNOWN: Full scale output = FSO = 1000 N (this is also the value of the output span)
FIND: uc
SOLUTION
From the given specifications, the elemental errors are estimated by:
uL = 0.001 x 1000N = 1N
uH = 0.001 x 1000N = 1N
uK = 0.0015 x 1000N = 1.5N
uz = 0.002 x 1000N = 2N
The overall instrument error is estimated as:
uc = (12 + 12 + 1.52 + 22)1/2 = 2.9 N
COMMENT
This root-sum-square (RSS) method provides a "probable" estimate (i.e. the most likely
estimate) of the uncertainty in the instrument error possible in any given measurement.
"Possible" is a key concept here as the error values will likely change between individual
measurements. Uncertainty gives an interval within which the actual error falls with some level
of likelihood or probability (such as in 19 measurements out of 20, or 95% of the measurements,
we expect the error to be within the interval).

PROBLEM 1.33
SOLUTION
Independent variable:
Applied tensile load
Controlled variable:
Bridge excitation voltage
Dependent variable:
Bridge output voltage (which is related to gauge resistance changes
due to the applied load)
Extraneous variables:
Specimen and ambient temperature will affect gauge resistance
A replication will involve resetting the control variable, using a new test specimen and
duplicating the test.

PROBLEM 1.34
SOLUTION
To test repeatability, apply various tensile loads at random over the useful operating range of the
system to build a data base. Be sure to operate within the elastic limit of the specimen. Direct
comparison and data scatter about a curve fit will provide a measure of repeatability (specific
methods to evaluate this are discussed in C4).
Reproducibility involves re-testing the system at a different facility or equivalent (such as
different instruments and test fixtures). Think of this as a duplication. Even though a similar
procedure and test matrix will be used to test for reproducibility, the duplication involves
different individual instruments and test fixtures. Note that the reproducibility test is also a
replication but with the different facility constraint added. The combined results allow for
interference effects to be randomized.
Bottom Line: The results leading to a reproducibility specification are more representative of
what can be expected by the end user (YOU!).

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