Determination of a probability distribution for pressure scanner noise and digitization uncertainty reporting

Abstract

This paper proposes a probability distribution for the discrete noise on a pressure scanner system commonly used in major US wind tunnel facilities. The level of granularity allows for a close relation between the measurement process and the imparted uncertainty. The distribution selection methodology accounts for current discussions regarding uncertainty reporting, especially the error-bound definition recently proposed. Such an error-bound definition benefits from the relationship to the measurement process and provides information to a practitioner responsible for data collection methods to assist in uncertainty reduction resource allocation. A discretized four-parameter beta distribution is fitted to satisfy the requirements for reporting the sensor noise and analog-digital conversion uncertainty.