Design and characterisation of a new force resonant sensor

This paper describes the design and performance of a resonant sensor for static force measurement. This sensor directly measures compressive forces like weight. The sensor relies on a metallic plate and on piezoelectric disks used to excite and detect vibrations of the structure. The paper underlines the interest of the use of finite element analysis for the design of the sensor. The frequency variation of the sensor in response to the applied force allows to determine the force sensitivity (about 6.63 Hz N-1). General features of the prototype of the sensor ate presented. The environment effect and its thermal behaviour are studied. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.