PRACTICE PROBLEMS FOR

INSTRUMENTATION AND
MEASUREMENT

Exercise Sheets

Mahesh Chandra Luintel

 Table of Contents
EXERCISE 1 .................................................................................................................................................... 3

EXERCISE 2 .................................................................................................................................................... 4

EXERCISE 3 .................................................................................................................................................... 6

EXERCISE 4 .................................................................................................................................................... 9

EXERCISE 5 .................................................................................................................................................. 11

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 PRACTICE PROBLEMS FOR INSTRUMENTATION AND MEASUREMENT

EXERCISE 1

REVISION

1. Find the Fourier series of the following functions which area assumed to have the period of
2π.
(a) f(x) =k 0<x<π
= – k π < x < 2π
(b) f(x) =π–x 0<x<π
=x–π π < x < 2π
2. Determine the complementary and particular function for the following differential
equations. Also determine the complete solution applying the given initial vales.
(a) y' + 2 y = 4x y(0) = 2
(b) y' + y = (x + 1)2 y(0) = 0
(c) y' + y = sin x y(0) = 0.5
(d) y'' – 2y' + 5y = 10 sin x y(0) = 0, y'(0) = 0
(e) y'' – 3y' + 2y = x2 + x y(0) = 0, y'(0) =0
(f) y'' + 4y' + 4y = 4 cos x + 3 sinx y(0) = 1, y'(0) = 0
3. Solve the differential equations of No. 2 using Laplace transform.

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 PRACTICE PROBLEMS FOR INSTRUMENTATION AND MEASUREMENT

EXERCISE 2

MEASUREMENT SYSTEM AND FOURIER SERIES

4. Indicate the functional elements of the following measuring devices shown in Figure P1.1.

(a) Bourdon tube pressure gauge (b) Diaphragm type liquid level Gauge
Figure P1.1
5. The following expression represents the displacement of a point as a function of time:
y(t) = 100 + 95 sin 15t + 55 cos 15 t
(a) What is the fundamental frequency in Hz?
(b) Rewrite the equation in terms of cosines only.
6. Rewrite each of the following expressions in standard Fourier Series Expansion form:
(a) y = 3.2 cos (0.2t – 0.3) + sin (0.2t + 0.4)
(b) y = 12 sin (t – 0.4)
7. Determine Fourier series expansion for the following time dependent signals (Figure P1.4).

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 A
0 2π 4π 6π

(a)

A
0 2π 4π 6π

(b)

A
0 2π 4π 6π

(c)
Figure P1.4

ANSWERS
2. 15/2π Hz; 100 + 109.77 cos (15t – 1.046)
3. 3.446 cos 0.2t + 1.867 sin 0.2t; 11.053 sin t – 4.673 cos t
4A  1 1 
4. (a)  sin ωt + sin 3ωt + sin 5ωt + ......... 
π  3 5 
2A  1 1 
(b)  sin ωt + sin 2ωt + sin 3ωt + .......... 
π  2 3 
A 4A  1 1 
(c) − 2  cos ωt + 2 cos 3ωt + 2 cos 5ωt + ........... 
2 π  3 5 

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 PRACTICE PROBLEMS FOR INSTRUMENTATION AND MEASUREMENT

EXERCISE 3

ZERO AND FIRST ORDER SYSTEMS

1. The individual sensitivities of different elements comprising a temperature measuring system

are:
Transducer 0.3 Ω/0C
Wheatstone bridge 0.01 V/Ω
Amplifier gain 80 V/V
Pen recorder 0.12 cm/V
Determine the overall sensitivity and the temperature change corresponding to a recorder pen
movement of 3 cm.
2. The following data pertains to measurement of angular speed by a dc tachogenerator.
Angular Velocity (rev/min) 0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000
Output Voltage (Volts) 0 8.9 15.1 23.5 29.7 38.8 47.5
Plot the results and determine the order of the system and make an estimate of sensitivity of
the instrument.
3. Determine the time constant and static sensitivity of mercury-in-glass thermometer whose
dynamic performance is prescribed by the following differential equation:
dq o
4.5 + 3 q0 = 1.5 × 10-3 qi
dt
where q0 is the height of the mercury column in m and qi is the input temperature, in 0C.
4. A first order instrument has a time constant of 0.2 s. For a step input to the instrument, find
the time at which the ratio of the output to the input signals is 0.8.
5. Assume that a particular temperature probe approximates first-order behavior in a particular
application, that it has a time constant of 6 s, and that it is suddenly subjected to a
temperature step of 750C – 3000C.
(a) What temperature will be indicated 10 s after the process has been initiated?
(b) Find the indicated temperature after 10 s if the same probe is subjected to a step 3000C –
750C.
6. A thermometer is initially at a temperature of 200C and is suddenly plunged into a liquid
bath, which is maintained at 1500C. The thermometer indicated 950C after time interval of 3
s. Estimate the time constant for the thermometer. Also calculate the indicated temperature
after five time constants and comment upon the results.
7. A measuring element with a time constant of 0.4 s and a static sensitivity of 0.05 mV/0C is
used to measure the temperature of a medium, which changes from 20 to 600C. Taking the
output as zero at 200C, find the output voltage at the end of 5 s, if the temperature changes
from 20 to 600C, occurs at a constant rate in 5 s.
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8. In a response test of a thermometer, which was suddenly put in water bath at 1000C, the
following data was obtained:
Time, t (s) 0 1 3 6 8 11 15 18
Temperature, (0C) 30 50 65 80 90 95 98 99
(a) Find the time constant of the thermometer.
(b) Find the steady state error if the thermometer is used to measure temperature of liquid
cooling at a rate of 10C every 6 s.
9. A first order instrument has a time constant of 2 s. For sinusoidal input to the instrument, find
the frequency at which the amplitude of the output signal is 0.8 times the amplitude of the
input signal.
10. A first order instrument must measure signals with frequency content upto 100 Hz with an
amplitude inaccuracy of 5 %. What is the maximum allowable time constant? What will be
the phase shift at 50 and 100 Hz?
11. The input signal of qi = sin 0.2t + 0.3 sin 2t is given to two different first order instruments
with time constants τ1 = 2 s and τ2 = 0.02 s respectively. Find out the output response of the
above instruments. Comment upon the results.
12. A thermocouple with a time constant of 0.3 s and a static sensitivity of 0.04 mV/0C is used to
measure the temperature of a medium, which varies as shown in Figure P2.12. If the initial
temperatures of the thermocouple reference and measuring junctions was 250C, find the
output of the thermocouple at t = 0.6 s and 30 s.

1000C

25 0C time
0 0.6 30.0

Figure P2.12

ANSWERS
1. 0.0288 cm/0C, 104.1670C
2. Zero order, 0.0153 V/RPM
3. 1.5 s, 0.5 × 10-3 m/0C
4. 0.32 s
5. 2570C, 1170C
6. 3.487 s, 149.120C
7. 1.84 mv
8. 4.5 s, 0.750C
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9. 0.597 Hz
10. 0.523 ms, – 9.330C, – 180C
11. 0.93 sin (2t – 21.80) + 0.073 sin (20t – 760); sin (2t – 0.230) + 0.3 sin (20t – 2.30C)
12. 2.6 mV, 0.03 m

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 PRACTICE PROBLEMS FOR INSTRUMENTATION AND MEASUREMENT

EXERCISE 4

SECOND ORDER SYSTEMS

1. Determine the natural frequency, damping ratio and the static sensitivity for a system
prescribed by the following differential equation:
d 2 q0 dq
2
+ 2.5 × 10 3 0 + 2 × 1010 q 0 = 1011qi
dt dt
The equation pertains to a piezoelectric transducer where q0 is the output charge in pC and qi
is the input acceleration in m/s2.
2. A second order system is subjected to a sinusoidal input. Undamped natural frequency is 3
Hz and damping ratio is 0.5. Calculate the amplitude ratio and phase angle for an input
frequency of 2 Hz.
3. A torque sensing transducer is connected to the shaft of an electric motor which drives a load
that has a moment of inertia of 200 × 10-3 kg m2. What should be the damping ratio of the
system when a sinusoidal torque varying at a frequency of 2 rad/s is to be reproduced with a
maximum error of + 10 %? The torsional constant is 1.5 Nm/rad.
4. In a pressure measuring transducer consisting of a number of strain gauges bonded to a
diaphragm, the undamped natural frequency of the system is found to be 60 kHz, and the
damping ratio 0.6. Calculate the amplitude of the output signal in terms of pressure, if the
input pressure to the transducer is fluctuating sinusoidally with an amplitude of 800 kPa at a
frequency of 30 kHz. What is the percentage error in the amplitude of output?
5. A second order control system of transfer function
q0 10
= 2
qi D + 5 D + 25
has been subjected to unit amplitude input signal which has a frequency of 0.5 Hz. Establish
an expression for the steady state response of the system and determine the corresponding
output amplitude, output frequency and phase lag.
6. A sinusoidal forcing function has been impressed on a spring mass damper for which the
natural frequency is 100 Hz and the damping ratio is 0.7. Calculate the amplitude ratio for
and the time lag of the system for an input frequency of 40 Hz. Further compute the
frequency range over which the system will have an amplitude ratio of 1.00 ± 0.01.
7. A second order system has a natural frequency of 10 Hz and a damping ratio of 0.3.
Calculate the value of resonant frequency and the magnitude ratio at this frequency. Also
calculate the bandwidth. Find the value of steady state error to unit ramp input.

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ANSWERS
1. 1.414 × 105 rad/s, 8.8 4× 10-5, 5 pC
2. 1.153, – 50.60
3. 0.534
4. 832 kPa, + 4 %
5. 0.4587, 46.040
6. 0.9905, 33.70, 40.48 Hz
7. 9.05 Hz, 1.75, 14.5 Hz, 9.5 ms

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 PRACTICE PROBLEMS FOR INSTRUMENTATION AND MEASUREMENT

EXERCISE 5

SENSORS AND STRAIN GAUGE

1. A linear wire wound potentiometer has a total resistance of 8 kΩ, and the overheating effects
limit the maximum power dissipation to 50 mW. Determine the maximum value of excitation
voltage. Also determine the output voltage if the input displacement is 1.25 mm and the
maximum displacement for the potentiometer device is 4.5 mm. Assume maximum
permissible excitation voltage is applied.

2. A capacitive transducer is constructed of two quartz diaphragms of 600 mm2 and separated
by a distance of 4 mm. With no pressure on the diaphragm, the device has a capacitance of
250 × 10-12F. When a pressure of 800 kPa is applied to one of the diaphragms, there occurs
an average deflection of 0.5 mm. Calculate the change in the capacitance of the system.

3. The output of a transducer with a total resistance of 120 Ω has been measured with a
potentiometer ballast circuit. The supply voltage is 100 V and maximum sensitivity is
attained at the mid position of the transducer. Make calculations for the sensitivity at 25 %
and 75 % position, and comment on results.

4. The output from a pressure pick up has been measured by a simple ballast circuit which is so
designed that the ballast resistance is 5 times the total resistance of the potentiometer.
Calculate the voltage output at 50 % load on the potentiometer if the unit has been energized
by a 100 V supply.

5. A resistance bridge circuit has the resistances: R1 = 120.5 Ω, R2 = 119.5 Ω and R3 = 118.5 Ω.
Calculate the resistance R4 if the bridge is to have resistance balance. What open circuit
voltage would be indicated on a meter if R4 has a value of 121.5 Ω? The bridge is energized
with a 12 V dc source and the meter has infinite impedance.

6. A metallic electric resistance strain gauge of 120 Ω resistance with gauge factor of 2 is
cemented onto an aluminium test surface. If the yield stress 20 MPa and Young's modulus of
elasticity is 70 GPa, determine the change in resistance of the gauge that would be caused by
loading the material to yield point.

7. A strain gauge has gauge factor of 4. If the strain gauge is attached to a metal bar that
stretches from 0.25 m to 0.255 m when stained, what is the percentage change in resistance?
If the unstrained value of gauge is 120 Ω, what is the resistance value of gauge after
application of strain?

8. A strain gauge potentiometric circuit uses a strain gauge of 120 Ω and a gauge factor of 2.
When working under maximum sensitivity conditions, the current flow through the system is

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 limited to 20 mA. Calculate the supply voltage and the change in output voltage when a
strain of 500 µ-strain is impressed upon the gauge.

9. A strain gauge bridge comprise of two fixed resistors each of have 120 Ω, one active gauge,
and an unstrained temperature compensation gauge. The two gauge connected in adjacent
arms of the bridge has a unstrained resistance of 120 Ω and a gauge factor of 2.2. Find the
bridge output voltage for a supply voltage output of 3 V, when the active gauge is subjected
to 600 µ-strain.

10. A single electrical resistance strain gauge of resistance 120 Ω and having a gauge factor of 2
is bonded to steel having an elastic limit stress of 400 kPa and modulus of elasticity of 200
GPa. Calculate the change in resistance:
(a) due to a change in stress equal to 1/10 of the elastic range of steel and due to a change of
temperature of 200C, if the material is advance alloy for which resistance temperature
coefficient is 20 × 10-6/0C.
(b) Calculate the strain due to differential expansion of the gauge metal and steel, if
coefficient of linear expansion of steel is 12 × 10-6/0C and that of advance alloy is 16 ×
10-6/0C.

ANSWERS
1. 20 V, 5.55 V
2. 35.71 × 10-12F
3. 0.7407 V/m, 0.2666 V/m
4. 8.33 V
5. 117.52 Ω, 100 mV
6. 0.0686 Ω
7. 8 %, 129.6 Ω
8. 4.8 V, 1.2 mV
9. 0.99 mV
10. 0.048 Ω, 0.019 Ω

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