Abstract
Ferroelectrets are used in capacitive piezoelectric sensors. When a force is applied to such a sensor, an electrical signal is generated. We first describe the equivalent circuit representation of a ferroelectret sensor element and proceed with the coupling of the sensor element to a measurement device. Based on the governing equations for the measurement signal following a given time-dependent force, we show that the sensors measure either force or force rate. We illustrate the use of ferroelectrets by proposing a reaction game using ferroelectret sensor elements. Several sensor elements are coupled to a measurement instrument, such as an oscilloscope, while forces are applied by the gamers as fast as possible with their hands. The sensor element is easily prepared by students within a few minutes, immediately enabling playing with the elements, followed by a fundamental understanding of ferroelectret force sensing.
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Acknowledgments
Work partially supported by the Austrian Science Funds and by the European Research Council (Advanced Investigators Grant SoftMap).
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Bauer-Gogonea, S., Bauer, S., Baumgartner, R., Kogler, A., Krause, M., Schwödiauer, R. (2016). Polymer Electrets and Ferroelectrets as EAPs: How to Start Experimenting with Them. In: Carpi, F. (eds) Electromechanically Active Polymers. Polymers and Polymeric Composites: A Reference Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31767-0_29-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31767-0_29-1
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Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-31767-0
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