ISSN: 1945-7545
CODEN: GTJODJ
Published Online: 5 January 2005
Page Count: 7

Performance of Centrifuge Data Acquisition Systems Using Wireless Transmission

Zornberg, JG
Assistant Professor, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX

Friedrichsen, J
Research Assistant, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO

Dell'Avanzi, E
Assistant Professor, Federal University of Parana,

(Received 9 October 2003; accepted 30 June 2004)

Abstract

Centrifuge testing requires transmitting data collected in a moving, increased-acceleration environment to a data acquisition system. Typical transmission methods include analog and digital data transmission through slip rings. However, these methods have often limited the accuracy of the measured data as well as the number of instruments that can be used in a test. A wireless ethernet data acquisition system was implemented for a centrifuge in this study. Using a computer equipped with a wireless ethernet card inside the centrifuge allows increased throughput while maintaining control of the centrifuge test by an external computer. Such a computer workgroup connected with wireless ethernet provides high throughput of noiselessly transmitted data. This approach allows a significant increase in the number of channels, and thus instruments, that can be used in a test when compared with other digital communication standards. An evaluation of the performance of this system indicates that the data throughput of the wireless system is consistently higher than conventional hard-wired serial communication systems, but depends on the g-level, transmission direction, and type of wireless card.

Keywords:
centrifuge, data acquisition systems, wireless communication, slip rings, digital transmission

Paper ID: GTJ12224
DOI: 10.1520/GTJ12224
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