Shock wave fluid pressure transducer element

A transducer assembly comprising:

• a transducer element, which includes a body extending along a longitudinal axis, the body defining a nose portion with a nose vertex at one opposite end of the nose portion, the body defining a measurement portion disposed adjacent the end of the nose portion opposite the nose vertex, three pressure transducers are disposed in the measurement portion and disposed spaced apart at a distance from each other along the longitudinal axis, each of the three pressure transducers includes a pressure-sensitive pressure receiving surface disposed parallel to the longitudinal axis, wherein each of the three pressure-sensitive pressure receiving surfaces is configured to detect a respective transient pressure, wherein the nose portion tapers along the longitudinal axis from the measurement portion to the vertex of the nose portion;
• an acquisition unit;
• and
• a cable electrically connecting the acquisition unit to the transducer element;
• wherein each of the three pressure transducers is configured to generate a respective pressure signal from each of the respective detected transient pressures;
• and
• wherein the acquisition unit is configured to compare the three respective pressure signals generated by the three respective pressure transducers.

A process for the detection of physical characteristics of a shock wave propagating in a direction along a pressure axis, the process comprising the following steps:

• using a transducer element containing three pressure transducers that are spaced apart from each other along a longitudinal axis wherein each of the pressure transducers is configured and disposed to detect a respective transient pressure of at least three transient pressures of the shock wave;
• wherein the three pressure transducers are housed in a measurement portion of a body, which defines a nose portion terminating in a nose vertex at one opposite end of the nose portion, wherein the nose portion oppositely disposed from the nose vertex is disposed adjacent to the measurement portion and tapers along the longitudinal axis from the measurement portion to the nose vertex of the nose portion;
• wherein the transducer element is defined about the longitudinal axis along which are aligned the three pressure transducers with a distance between any two of the three pressure transducers;
• arranging the longitudinal axis of the transducer element parallel to a propagation direction of the shock wave and with the nose portion facing the shock wave;
• generating from each of the three respective pressure transducers, a respective pressure signal corresponding to the detected one of the respective transient pressures;
• detecting the temporal position of a respective shock wave front of the shock wave from an increase in each of the three respective pressure signals;
• determining a time difference between the three respective shock wave fronts;
• calculating a shock wave velocity from the time differences between the three respective shock wave fronts;
• calculating a shock wave acceleration from the time differences between the three respective shock wave fronts.