Piezoelectric Rotational Accelerometers

Abstract

The possibility of creating a piezoelectric seismometer for recording angular accelerations during rotary motion of soil and structures is substantiated. Two piezoelectric transducers with a common inertial mass are used in a single-component instrument. The accelerometer is based on the principle of compensation of electrical signals with opposite polarities from linear motion with the addition of the signals proportional to the rotation of the same sensors. The foundations of the theory and design elements of rotational piezoelectric accelerometers are considered. The advantages of the instruments are emphasized when they are used in the near-field zones of strong earthquakes.