Is a shear mode sensor superior to compression mode?
What about flexure mode sensors? In recent years, shear mode sensors have gained popularity, while compression mode are often considered to be “old technology.” Meanwhile, flexural mode sensors, once considered too fragile for industrial applications, are now making a comeback by incorporating special design techniques. Each construction method has inherent advantages and disadvantages. The construction method of a sensor is less important than its performance. For each model, characteristics such as base strain and shock limits are quantified on the specification sheet and can be compared. For example, a well-designed compression mode sensor may have a lower base strain rating than a shear mode sensor. While this may be contrary to many peoples’ intuition, it can be verified by comparing the values of the 793 (compression) versus the 786A (shear). In today’s advanced designs, the right sensor for an application is determined by the performance yielded by different design techniques.
