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Test Plan and Calibration
Test Plan and Calibration
Test Plan and Calibration
Variables
The objectives of the measurement program requires the identification of the test
variables (variables of interest). In the parameter test plan, all known variables should be
listed and evaluated for any possible cause and effect relationships. If a change in one
variable does not effect the value of the other variable, it means the two variables are
independent of each other. These variables are known as ir?&peidentvariahles.A variable
that changes due to changes in one or more variables is known as a dependeizt variable.
The control of variables is important in any experimental test plan. Variables are
defined as coizh-olled whenever they can be held at a constant value for the duration of a
measurement. The control may only be for a short duration while a sample is being made.
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
Time lsrcl
Variables that cannot be controlled during a test but will still affect the magnitude of the
measured variable is defined as extraneous variables. The effects of extraneous variables
can take the form of signals superimposed over the measured signal in the form of noise or
drift. These extraneous variables may impose a false trend onto the behaviour of the
variable.
Static Calihra~ioizTest
The most common type of calibration test is known as the static calibration test. In general,
static calibration refers to a situation in which all the inputs except one are kept at some
constant values. Then the one under study is varied over some range of constant values
which causes the output(s) to vary over some range of constant values. This procedure may
be repeated by varying each input considered to be of interest and thus developing a family
of input-output relationships. The total system behaviour can then be described as the
superposition of all the individual static calibration curves. The statement "all other inputs
>
are held constant" refers to an ideal situation which can only be approached but never
reached in practice"
l n ~ uvalue.
t
x lun~tsl
Static Sensitivity
The slope of the static calibration curve is the static sensitivity of the measurement system.
The static sensitivity ,K, at any particular static input x, is defined as;
Since calibration curves can sometimes be non-linear, the value of K can sometimes vary
over the range of input values.
The range is defined the maximum and minimum limits of the static calibration. The input
range refers to the range of the independent variable, x, while the output span orfull scale
nperatin,poutput (FSO)is the range limits of the output variable, y. It is important to avoid
exceeding the operating range of the measurement system since the behaviour of the system
is unknown beyond the calibration region.
Accuracy
The accuracy of the system can be estimated during a calibration test. If the known input of
the calibration is compared with the output from the measurement system then the absolute
error E can be estimated by;
E
14
100
true value )
I=
Measured data
Measured read~ngnumber
In the design of an experimental program, the engineer must strive to isolate and
remove all those perturbations that tend to result in biased errors. The causes of biased
errors may be a result of the measurement device itself (i.e. excessive friction in a
mechanical gage ) or be induced in the measurement device by external factors (i.e.
temperature ). Normally biased errors can be minimized during the calibration phase of the
experiment,
3. Instrument Error
In the design and selection of a measurement instrument, a number of standard errors are
listed to assist the engineer in identifying possible errors in hisiher measurement system.
These errors are normally listed as part of the manufacturer's specifications derived from
calibration tests. An example of such a list is illustrated on Table 1.1
T A B L E I. I Manufacturer's Speci tications: Typical
Preshure Transducer
Oprroriot~
Input range
Excitation
Output range
Prty'i)rmuncr
Linearity error
Hysteresis error
Sensitivity error
Thermal sensitivity error
Thermal zero drift
Temperature range
0 to I000 cm H:O
+ I 5 V dc
Oto5V
+0.5% full scale (FSO)
Less than f 0.15% full scale (FSO)
+0.25% of reading
+0.02% lQCof reading
0.02% 1C full scale (FSO)
0 to 50 "C
Operation
The operation parameters refer to the range of performance for the instrument. In this
example the pressure transducer must operate with a + 15volt input voltage to the device.
The pressure recording transducer will operate within an input range (primary sensing
element) of 0 to 1000 cm of water and will output a signal of 0 to 5 volts corresponding to
0 to 1000 cm of water pressure (variable conversion element). The calibration constant
relating the pressure to output signal voltage would be .005volts/cm water or 5mVIcm
water.
Performance
The performance parametersfor the instrument will give some insight into the limitations of
the calibration constant calculated from the operation parameters. These performance
parameters must meet the tolerance limits for the experiment. A list of the errors follows.
Hysteresis
Hysteresis error refers to the differences between an upscale sequence calibration and a
downscale sequence calibration. Hysteresis is usually specified for a measurement system
in terms of the maximum hysteresis error as a percentage of full scale output range (FSO).
lnput value
lnput value
( a ) H!.steresis error
(11)
Linearity error
Max~mumfor
curve
devlce
0
lnput value
(c)
lnput value
Sensiti\fityerror
Probable ( 2 2S,)
data scatter
band on
successive
measurements
lnput value
(0)
Repeatability error
Limwity Error
Most instruments are designed to achieve a simple linear relationship between the input and
output signals. However, in real systems, truly linear behaviour is only approximately
achieved. As a result, measurement device specificationsprovide a statement as to the
expected linearity of the static calibration curve for the device. The linearity error, e,(x) is
the difference between the actual calibration line and a best fitting linear line through the
data. It is normally expressed as a percentage of full scale output (FSO).
The scatter in the data measured during a calibration affects the precision in the slope of the
calibration curve. If we fix the calibration curve to pass through zero and then bound all our
calibration data with straight line, we will create an upper and lower bound for the
calibration slope .The sensitivity error relates to the error in the calibration slope (i.e. static
sensitivity, K) to account for the full range of data collected in the calibration test.
The static sensitivity of most devices is also a function of the temperature of the
device. Therefore an estimate of the sensitivity of the device to temperature is published as
a thermal sensitivity error. This value relates the change of the calibration slope (static
sensitivity, K) as a function of temperature. The change in the slope due to temperature
changes are normally referenced to an ambient test temperature (usually 20C)for the
standard tests.
If the zero intercept is not fixed but the sensitivity is constant (i.e. slope K is
constant), then drifting of the zero intercept introduces a vertical shift of the calibration
curve. This shift of the zero intercept of the calibration curve is known as the zero error, e,
or null error. Zero error can usually be reduced by periodically adjusting the output from
the measurement system under a zero input condition. However, some random variation in
the zero intercept is common, especially with electronic equipment subjected to temperature
variations. This condition is normally referred to as thermal zero drift.
Instrumen?Repeala hility
The ability of the instrument to indicate the same value upon repeated but independent
applications of the same input is known as instrument repeatability.The instrument
repeatability reflects only the error found under controlled calibration conditions and does
not include temperature effects or procedural errors.
Instrument Precision
The term "instrument precision" when reported in instrument specificationsrefers to the
results of separate repeatability tests. Manufacturer claims of instrument precision must be
based on multiple repeatability tests performed in different labs on different units of the
same instrument.