The Aircraft Pressure Transducer Kulite Semiconductor Products, Inc. revolutionized the aircraft pressure transducer in 1987 when it introduced its patented, all-welded, hermetically sealed, true vented gage pressure transducer. This patent allows the use of two separate, absolute pressure sensing capsules. One senses system pressure and the other senses atmospheric pressure. The output signal of the transducer is the difference between the output signals of these two sensors. This innovative technique solved the environmental problems, which had historically plagued the aircraft pressure transducer. It protects all internal components from the potentially contaminating and corrosive effects of the atmosphere, by hermetically sealing them within an enclosure of stainless steel. As a result of this design improvement, Kulite raised the MTBF of its aircraft pressure transducer to more than 100,000 flight hours - a reliability improvement of twenty to twenty-five times over that of the typical pressure transducer, which the aircraft industry had been using up until that time. Since 1987, this reputation for reliability has led Kulite to its current position as the dominant supplier of pressure transducers for both commercial and military aircraft applications world-wide. Applications include the monitoring and control of engine oil, fuel, bleed air, engine torque, hydraulic systems (brakes, flaps and rudder), Main Gear Box and Auxiliary Gear Box Lube oil, tire pressures, cabin air. Kulite has developed custom electronic circuits which can be coupled with the Kulite sensor to produce Kulite instruments which mimic pressure transducers based on older sensing technologies such as LVDT, potentiometers, variable reluctance, synchros, etc. This has provided many aircraft manufacturers with the opportunity for an inexpensive upgrade of the instrumentation suites on older aircraft. All that must be changed is the transducer itself. The downstream instrumentation is unaware of and unaffected by the change. Commercial Aircraft Kulite is the dominant supplier of pressure sensors and can be found on almost all Boeing, Airbus, Canadair, Embraer Aircraft programs, to name a few. Kulite sensors are used to control or monitor engine systems, fuel systems, hydraulic systems (brake, flaps, rudder), tire pressures, environmental systems and provide inputs to “Black Box” systems. The reliability of an aircraft pressure transducer is our number one concern. Military Aircraft We take pride in supporting programs like the F-18, F-22, C-17, JSF and many others. Accurate and highly reliable pressure sensors (some are dual and triple redundancy) are required when pushing the performance of an aircraft to its maximum and achieving its goal or mission and testing the limits of the unknown. General Aviation Kulite supplies transducers to systems on almost all the smaller aircraft manufacturers. Typical applications include measurement for torque, oil, fuel, and hydraulics. Rotocraft Kulite Transducers are used on military and commercial helicopter program such as the V-22 Ospray - tiltrotor aircraft, AH-1S Cobra, AH-64 Apache, S-76 helicopter, S-92 HELIBUS, Bell-222 helicopter and many others. Rotorcraft transducers typically see more vibration than other aircraft applications which a Kulite transducer can handle with ease. Flight Test Small, very accurate and reliable sensors are needed when validating design concepts and testing the limits of the unknown. Small, flat pressure sensors are used on wings, engines, propellers, fuselages to sense high intensity dynamic pressure and steady state pressure changes and the effect they have on an aircraft. Solid State Technology Upgrade Kulite transducers are used to replace older pressure sensing technologies such as Variable Reluctance sensors, LVDT sensors, Syncro sensors and potentiometer sensors when highly reliable and longer life Solid State electronics are desirable instead. Space Launch Vehicles Our customers can’t afford a satellite or space lab component to not make its intended destinations. They must choose the best, and they have chosen Kulite to be used on space launch vehicles because of superior technology, durability, extreme reliability and pinpoint accuracy. back to top