002-086e-01.19
Installation
Page 23
4.8 Mass loading effects
When a device such an accelerometer is attached to a test
article, the acceleration to be measured will be altered. These
effects can be reduced significantly by the proper selection
of the measuring accelerometer. It should be assumed that
the presence of an accelerometer does not significantly affect
the system response, provided the dynamic mass of the
accelerometer is considerably less than the test specimen.
As a general 'rule-of-thumb', the weight of the accelerometer
should be no greater than 10 % of the weight of the test
specimen. An example of possible accelerometer-induced
distortion is the instance of a heavy sensor mounted in the
center of a thin printed circuit board.