TABLE OF CONTENTS Calibrating all the equipment used in the test measurement system is an essential step in the larger process of obtaining valid test data. Calibration involves applying a series of known inputs to the equipment and recording the resulting output values. The calibration process may also involve adjusting the equipment to eliminate or minimize the errors that can occur in these output values.
To understand the importance of calibration the following points should be kept in mind:
Calibration of all the equipment used in the test measurement system must be performed. This means that every piece of instrumentation that is installed to set test conditions or to make resulting test measurements must be calibrated. Any measurement that is cited in the test results or used to make test conclusions must have been made with calibrated instrumentation.
Calibration is an essential step because it is the only thing that can guarantee the validity of the measurements and the test conclusions. Calibration allows us to assign valid numbers to the measurements and to state the possible error in those measurements. Without calibration, all that could be reported are relative results such as "there was an increase in vibration as the flow increased."
When we say that calibration involves applying a "series of known inputs" we mean that the instruments are calibrated over the full range of measurements that are taken. Any measurements that are taken outside the calibrated range cannot be considered valid since there is no guarantee that the instrument would...
