The analysis of pressure and temperature fluctuations on body surfaces with flow around them is an ideal field of application for piezoelectric film sensors, since they can be applied to the object under investigation (even with moderately 3D-curved surfaces) without interfering with its surface.
Applications already realized include:
- Measurement on airplane wings and tails in flight tests
- Automotive measurement in the wind tunnel
- Application on turbine blades
A special structuring of the film coating allows complex multi-sensor arrays with a high spatial resolution to be produced, with which flow fields can be tested for their theoretically expected behavior both on small engine blades and over a large area on an aircraft wing.
The very low sensor mass and simple mounting with glue are excellent prerequisites for usage on fast-rotating machine parts. Due to their high resistance to many chemicals, gold-coated piezo foils can also be used in aggressive liquid or gas flow media.
