PCB Piezotronics Announces Improved Explosion and Blast Pressure Sensor

Model 137B23 quartz, free-field, ICP® blast pressure pencil probe

October 24, 2012, Depew, NY - PCB Piezotronics, Inc., a global leader in the design and manufacture of microphones, vibration, force, torque, load, strain and pressure sensors, as well as the pioneer of ICP® technology, is pleased to announce the release of the improved Model 137B23 quartz, free-field, ICP® blast pressure pencil probe. The Model 137B23 has been improved for durability and alignment by lowering the parts count by 40% and the internal connections by 50%.

The pencil probes continue to feature an extremely fast microsecond response time, with resonant frequencies to 500 kHz. The blast pressure pencil probes are designed for a broad range of explosion, blast and shockwave testing. Applications include measuring blast pressure in free-field or closed bunker arenas to obtain peak pressure, total impulse, shockwave and time-of-arrival measurements often used to study blast effects on structures, vehicles and humans.

ICP® technology features integral microelectronics that provides a high signal-to-noise ratio compared to silicon semiconductor sensing technologies, which require external amplification. The high-level 5 V output signal is capable of driving long cable runs hundreds of feet in length, to a safe zone for data acquisition. Sensors are frequency tailored to capture both peak pressure and total impulse calculations.