Overview
ISO 5347-12:1993 specifies the instrumentation and procedural requirements for testing the transverse shock sensitivity of rectilinear accelerometers. The procedure applies to strain-gauge, piezoresistive and piezoelectric transducers and is intended to support calibration activities and quality control in test laboratories and sensor manufacturing.
Key scope points from the standard:
- Applies to rectilinear accelerometers of the strain-gauge, piezoresistive and piezoelectric type.
- Applicable impulse duration range: 0.01 ms to 10 ms.
- Dynamic acceleration range: 100 m/s² to 100 000 m/s².
- Limits of uncertainty applicable: ±20% of reading.
- Ambient temperature control recommended at 23 °C ± 3 °C.
Key Topics
- Apparatus and mounting: The shock machine must provide a fixture for delivering transverse shocks to the sensor under test and allow mounting the accelerometer at different angles about its sensitive axis.
- Pulse durations and amplitudes: The standard identifies preferred impulse durations (in ms): 0.01; 0.02; 0.05; 1; 2; 5; 10. Preferred acceleration values (in m/s²) include: 100; 200; 500; 1 000; 2 000; 5 000; 10 000; 20 000; 50 000; 100 000.
- Test procedure: Submit the transducer to shock pulses matching the durations and accelerations used for its calibration (see ISO 5347-2). Record the maximum and minimum transverse sensitivity values observed at different angular positions.
- Result expression: Compute the transverse sensitivity S (in percent) as:
S = (A_trans / A) × 100
where A_trans is the amplitude of the transverse response and A is the amplitude of the shock in the test direction. Report maximum and minimum values and the corresponding mounting angles.
Applications
- Calibration laboratories performing shock calibration on accelerometers.
- Sensor manufacturers validating transverse sensitivity as part of production testing and quality control.
- Test houses and R&D facilities comparing sensor behaviour under transverse shock loading.
Benefits and practical value:
- Provides a repeatable, standardized method to quantify transverse coupling and cross-axis sensitivity under shock conditions.
- Supports traceable calibration workflows when used alongside ISO 5347 series primary and secondary calibration procedures.
- Helps identify mounting sensitivities and limits relevant to high-acceleration applications.
Related Standards
- ISO 5347-0: Concepts of basic methods for calibration of vibration and shock pick-ups.
- ISO 5347-2: Primary shock calibration methods (reference for matching calibration shock conditions).
- Other parts of the ISO 5347 series cover secondary calibration methods, vibration sensitivity tests, temperature and mounting sensitivity tests.
For practitioners, ISO 5347-12:1993 should be used in conjunction with other ISO 5347 parts to ensure consistent, traceable calibration and reporting of accelerometer shock sensitivity.
Open preview (PDF)Methods for the calibration of vibration and shock pick-ups — Part 12: Testing of transverse shock sensitivity
