Curved Strain Gage Surface for Flow Through Pressure Sensor
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional flow through pressure sensors for high-performance liquid chromatography systems are limited in their pressure measurement range, prone to premature failure, and difficult to manufacture due to varying bore wall thicknesses, which require multiple sensors for different pressure ranges and result in signal degradation and increased manufacturing complexity.
Innovation Solution
A sensor body design with a strain gage surface featuring a curved section and constant bore wall thickness, allowing for a larger responsive area and increased sensitivity, enabling a single sensor to measure a wider range of pressures with improved reliability and reduced manufacturing complexity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional flow through pressure sensors use varying bore wall thicknesses to measure different pressure ranges, then the measurement range can be extended, but the device complexity increases and manufacturing becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the geometric parameter of the strain gage surface from flat to curved (cylindrical), which fundamentally alters the stress distribution and strain characteristics. This single parameter change enables the sensor to accurately measure pressures across a wide range (from less than a few thousand psi to more than 20,000 psi) without requiring multiple sensor configurations with different bore wall thicknesses.
Solution Approach 2:
The curved strain gage surface design creates a universal sensor body that can measure pressures across the entire operational range of HPLC and UPLC systems (less than a few thousand psi to more than 20,000 psi). This eliminates the need for multiple specialized sensors with different bore wall thicknesses, making one sensor design suitable for all pressure ranges.
2Measurement precision
If conventional pressure sensors increase amplification in the sensor circuitry to extend pressure range, then the measurement range improves, but signal degradation occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies curvature to the strain gage surface, forming a cylindrical section that distributes strain more uniformly across the gage. This geometric transformation improves the sensor's ability to measure high pressures (more than 20,000 psi) without requiring excessive circuit amplification, thereby maintaining signal quality and preventing degradation.
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional flow through pressure sensors use standard flat strain gage surfaces, then manufacturing is simpler, but the responsive area is limited and sensitivity is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The curved strain gage surface increases the responsive area compared to a flat surface of the same footprint, enhancing the sensor's sensitivity to pressure changes. The cylindrical curvature allows strain to be distributed and accumulated across a larger effective area, improving measurement precision without significantly complicating the manufacturing process.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design allows for a wider range of pressure measurement with increased sensitivity and reliability, reducing the need for multiple sensors and simplifying manufacturing, while maintaining accuracy and extending the sensor's lifetime.
Implementation Method 1
The sensor body has a strain gage surface having a curved section and a length extending along a portion of a length of the sensor body
Data Source
AI summary
A sensor body for a flow through pressure sensor includes a strain gage surface to receive a strain gage. The strain gage surface has a curved section and a length extending along a portion of a length of the sensor body. A bore wall thickness is defined as a radial distance between the bore and an outer surface of the sensor body, including the strain gage surface. The curved section can have a substantially greater bore wall thickness over its area relative to the planar surface because a greater responsive surface area for strain measurement is available. Thus a larger strain gage may be used and pressure measurement accuracy increased.