A shielded bridge for inductive impedance measurements at speech and carrier frequencies

A shielded, a-c., inductance bridge adapted to the measurement of inductive impedances at frequencies up to 50,000 cycles is described. The bridge comprises a balancing unit and associated standards of inductance and resistance. The balancing unit has resistance ratio arms specially constructed to meet the requirements imposed by the above frequency range. The reference standard makes use of inductance coils of a new type, their cores being of magnetic instead of non-magnetic material as is usually the case. The use of such cores results in coils that are smaller and hence better adapted to assembly in a multiple shielded standard. The bridge is completely shielded so as to eliminate, to a high degree, errors due to parasitic capacitance currents. The shielding is also arranged so as to permit the correct measurement of either “grounded” or “balanced-to-ground” impedances. A series of diagrams is shown for the purpose of indicating the function of each part of the shielding system. Equations expressing the errors resulting from any small residual capacitance unbalances in the resultant bridge network arc given and calculations made of the balances required for the desired degree of measurement precision. Test data are presented illustrating a method of experimentally checking the residual shunt and series balances from which it is concluded that the bridge is capable of comparing two equal inductive impedances of large phase angle with an accuracy at the maximum frequency of 0.02 per cent for inductance and 1.0 per cent for resistance.