Surface roughness and vibration study of an accelerometer mount used in a helicopter health usage and management system

The results of a study examining an accelerometer mount used in a Helicopter Health Usage and Management System (HUMS) is presented. The accelerometer mount is an important component in the vibration measurement process, transmitting the vibration signature of the subject component to the accelerometer transducer. The effect of surface roughness is studied between the accelerometer mount and the subject component by generating a dimensionless transfer function between the accelerometer mount and a reference block for several surface conditions. The transfer functions and time domain results provide some insight into the vibration characteristics of the accelerometer mount. Multiple iterations performed for each test condition provide some statistical information. The results show that, within the test cases.. Surface roughness is a higher order effect. The primary driver for variability in the data results from the installation, removal, and reinstallation of the accelerometer mount.