Introduction

The opening quotation, by Lord Kelvin, shows the importance of being able to measure parameters and record or display the resulting measurements in numbers. Measurements allow us to make specific conclusions about the physical conditions of a test object and about how the object responds to changes in its environment. These measurements allow us to verify that the object will perform correctly under the specified conditions and verify that future changes to the object do not affect its performance. The quotation also underscores the important role that measurements play in advancing scientific knowledge.

This book introduces students, technicians, technologists, and engineers to the specialized test instrumentation that is used in R&D laboratories, in testing organizations, and in industrial maintenance departments. The book will focus on the practical application of test instrumentation and emphasize the importance of creating a "mea-surement system" that involves components, installation, wiring, and calibration. The design, application, and calibration of systems for measuring pressure, temperature, flow, force, displacement, and vibration will be discussed. A significant portion of the book will be devoted to the calibration of test instrumentation, including detailed information about calibration equipment, calibration methods, and calibration records.

You will learn to:

• design test measurement systems
• select appropriate equipment
• understand the characteristics of system components
• understand system and component calibration u
• nderstand the operating principles of transducers
• determine overall accuracy of a system
• formulate basic test procedure designs