Military applications feel the pressure of sensing technology

摘要

Pressure sensors are being used widely within military applications, from depth sensors on the Spearfish and Tigerfish torpedoes to weapon handling and launch systems on submarines. Pressure measurement is necessary in a vast range of engineering applications, from monitoring low pressures in vacuum based processes (less than 10-6 Pa), such as in the manufacture of silicon wafers, through to controlling the high pressures used in hydraulic systems (sometimes over 100 MPa). Military applications of pressure measurement are also very wide, in particular wherever fluids are used to provide power or control. This, for example, could be to monitor vehicle engine oil or fuel, or to control hydraulic actuators such as for brakes, flaps and rudders. They can also be used to indicate position, such as determining the altitude of an aircraft by measuring atmospheric pressure or in the case of calculating the depth of a torpedo by measuring the water pressure.