How To Measure High G Force Decceleration and Acceleration During Shock or Drop Testing

There are of course very expensive instruments available for measure the high g forces for impact testing. Most inexpensive accelerometers or inertial measurement units only measure up to 16G of acceleration. We had an application that required measuring 150G during a shock test. We wanted something simple, and preferably wireless (bluetooth).

This article describes a simple method of how to calculate the G-force of a drop impact. The impact velocity is calculated from acceleration of gravity.

These are some of the devices I found that fit the application needs and were still relatively low cost.

• VERNIER Go Direct® Acceleration Sensor

• Range:

• Low acceleration: ±157 m/s2 (±16 g)

• High acceleration: ±1,960 m/s2 (±200 g)

• YOST LABS 3-Space™ Bluetooth Ultra-High G TSS-BTS-H3 (+/- 400G Accelerometer, Screwdown Sensor Unit)

• MSR175 Transportation Data Logger - Records Shock and Temperature

• Records in Range of ±15g/±200g and -20°C to 65°C Temperature Range

WHICH ONE DID I CHOOSE?