Development of a PVDF Pressure Gauge for Blast Loading Measurement

International audienceWe investigate the development of a sensor for dynamic pressure measurement. The sensor relies on a Bauer shock gauge of 25-μm thin Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) film [AIP Conf. Proc 706:1121–1124, [21]. These gauges unfortunately require some skills to be integrated in an acquisition chain and the obtained results are strongly “experiment dependent.” In the presented work, the classical Bauer gauge has been adapted: the reproducible PVDF film is poled at high voltage, in electrical symmetrical response and reproducibility. The sensitive area is a 3 × 3 mm square. The gauge has been electrically shielded and overlaid with a heat conductive material. A 5-m long coaxial wire connects the gauge to a charge amplifier, allowing its connection to a deported oscilloscope. The output electrical charge of the PVDF gauge has been correlated with the pressure measured by calibrated PCB® sensors. Measured pressures are validated by an analytical approach and numerical simulations of the flow in the shock tube. A calibration curve can be deduced for pressures below 10 bar, values which are often met in blast loading situations. This customizable sensor is hence suitable and easy to use to measure the blast-reflected pressure on a flat material