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Accelerometer Mounting Tip Sheet

Primary Mounting Methods
When conducting vibration testing, it is important to consider the various methods of
mounting an accelerometer.
ADHESIVES MOUNTING
An adhesive method of mounting
an accelerometer can be used
when it is impractical to mount the
accelerometer using a stud. There are
several adhesives that are effective in
mounting an accelerometer::
1. Glue (cyanoacrylate, epoxies, and
hot glue)
2. Wax (paraffin and beeswax)
Proper preparation of all adhesives
includes clean surfaces and a very thin
layer of adhesive. Glue provides a better
resonant frequency response than wax.
Wax adhesives are dependent upon
temperature, surface material, and
preparation. Both adhesive methods
can obtain an excellent data response.
However, cyanoacrylate glue is an
STUD MOUNTING instant adhesive and provides a more
Mounting the accelerometer to the DUT with a stud is the best method to
accurate high frequency performance.
mount an accelerometer (Figure 1). Adding a thin layer of silicon grease to the
As such, cyanoacrylate glue and is the
base of the accelerometer fills the microscopic pits and grooves on the surface
preferred adhesive solution in most
and creates better surface contact. Stud-mounted accelerometers can measure
circumstances. Wax is a convenient
vibration responses across a range of frequencies and exhibit high frequency
and simple adhesive and is generally
transmissibility values.
used in short-term situations. Epoxy
and hot glue are convenient mounts
MAGNETIC MOUNTING
for low frequency testing.
In some situations, it may be appropriate to use a mounting method involving
magnets. There are, however, some concerns with the magnetic method.
The responses from a magnetic mounting method are of poorer quality than
the adhesive methods or the stud-mounted method. Additionally, mounting
an accelerometer with a magnetic method is only effective if the DUT contains
magnetic materials and the magnetic attraction between the surface of the DUT
and the mounting magnet is strong. The strength of the attraction between the
surface of the DUT and the mounting surface is greatest when the two surfaces are
in good contact. If the surface of the DUT is curved, then the magnetic attraction
between the DUT surface and the mounting magnet decreases.

MOUNTING ORIENTATIONS
It is also important to consider the orientation of the accelerometer when mounting.
A single-axis accelerometer only measures data in one specific direction. For example,
if the vibration of the DUT is in a horizontal plane and the accelerometer is mounted
to collect data from the vertical plane, then the accelerometer will not read the
correct vibration, if any vibration at all. Attention to detail in this regard is important.
Test engineers must be aware of the direction of the DUT’s vibration as well as the
orientation the accelerometer should be mounted to collect the vibration data from
the DUT. Figure 1:
Accelerometer with mounting stud
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