Vrolyk, John J.

High pressure, high temperature transducer

The pressure measurement system utilizes two bourdon tubes with an active side connected to a test specimen and a reference side connected to an outside source. The tubes are attached to a single extensometer measuring relative displacement. The active side deflects when gases vent a specimen failure. The reference side is independently pressurized to a test pressure and provides a zero reference while providing a pressure calibration reference for the active side. The deflection noted by the active side at specimen failure is duplicated on the reference side by venting until an appropriate magnitude of pressure versus deflection is determined. In this way the pressure which existed inside the specimen prior to failure can be determined.