Principles of pressure transducers, resonance, damping and frequency response

Abstract 

Blood pressure is a determinant of blood flow, and is the sum of hydrostatic and dynamic pressures. Intravascular pressures can be measured directly using intravascular pressure sensors, or with external transducers connected by a fluid column. Early pressure transducers consisted of wire strain gauges, but these have been superseded by semiconductor devices, which have become increasingly mass-produced and miniaturized, using production techniques common in microelectronics. Performance of pressure-monitoring systems is affected by physical factors including resonance and damping. This article examines the physical principles that underlie transducer design and function, and the sources of error and inaccuracy.

Keywords: Damping, frequency, hydrostatic, kinetic, micromachining, piezoresistive, pressure, resonance, strain gauge, transducer