History, Working Principle, and Pitfalls of IEPE/ICP Piezoelectric Sensors

History, Working Principle, and Pitfalls of IEPE/ICP Piezoelectric Sensors | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article History, Working Principle, and Pitfalls of IEPE/ICP Piezoelectric Sensors Oliver M. Zobel, Johannes Maierhofer, Michael Kreutz, Daniel J. Rixen This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8564064/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This article reviews the operating principles of IEPE/ICP accelerometers, which are the prevailing standard for vibration and acceleration measurements, and examines two pitfalls that can compromise measurement accuracy: soft-clipping and temperature sensitivity. Soft-clipping, a non-linear amplitude response, occurs when the internal electronics of an IEPE/ICP sensor exceed their specified linear operating range, typically corresponding to an output of $\pm\SI{5}{\volt}$. Because most measurement systems allow a wider voltage range of $\pm\SI{10}{\volt}$, this non-linear behavior can occur without triggering system-level warnings. Shaker tests indicate that prolonged operation beyond the rated measurement range results in significant signal distortion, particularly attenuating negative acceleration values and producing asymmetric signals. Even after returning to nominal operating conditions, a recovery time of several seconds is required. While the soft-clipping effect appears largely frequency independent up to \SI{5}{\kilo\hertz}, it may be difficult to detect in real-world vibration tests with complex, broadband signals. Impact tests further reveal that soft-clipping subtly affects shock responses, primarily altering initial peaks and potentially obscuring high-frequency modes that decay rapidly. In contrast, frequency-domain analyses are less affected. Additionally, temperature tests show that sensor sensitivity can vary substantially, highlighting the importance of temperature monitoring or the use of thermally compensated sensors. Overall, the findings emphasize that avoiding operation outside the rated measurement range and implementing appropriate monitoring or warning strategies are essential for reliable IEPE/ICP measurements. Sensors Integrated Electronics Acquisition Hardware Operational Vibrations Experimental Dynamics Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8564064","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":572279664,"identity":"b1340b40-6d22-44ed-ab6f-f4269e956517","order_by":0,"name":"Oliver M. 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Soft-clipping, a non-linear amplitude response, occurs when the internal electronics of an IEPE/ICP sensor exceed their specified linear operating range, typically corresponding to an output of $\\pm\\SI{5}{\\volt}$. Because most measurement systems allow a wider voltage range of $\\pm\\SI{10}{\\volt}$, this non-linear behavior can occur without triggering system-level warnings. Shaker tests indicate that prolonged operation beyond the rated measurement range results in significant signal distortion, particularly attenuating negative acceleration values and producing asymmetric signals. Even after returning to nominal operating conditions, a recovery time of several seconds is required. While the soft-clipping effect appears largely frequency independent up to \\SI{5}{\\kilo\\hertz}, it may be difficult to detect in real-world vibration tests with complex, broadband signals. Impact tests further reveal that soft-clipping subtly affects shock responses, primarily altering initial peaks and potentially obscuring high-frequency modes that decay rapidly. In contrast, frequency-domain analyses are less affected. Additionally, temperature tests show that sensor sensitivity can vary substantially, highlighting the importance of temperature monitoring or the use of thermally compensated sensors. Overall, the findings emphasize that avoiding operation outside the rated measurement range and implementing appropriate monitoring or warning strategies are essential for reliable IEPE/ICP measurements.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"History, Working Principle, and Pitfalls of IEPE/ICP Piezoelectric Sensors","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-01-13 14:40:41","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8564064/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"e09feab6-e433-462c-b185-d45dbc1cc2d2","owner":[],"postedDate":"January 13th, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-01-13T14:40:41+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-01-13 14:40:41","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-8564064","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-8564064","identity":"rs-8564064","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}