Influence of Air Pressure on the Resonance Properties of a T-Shaped Quartz Tuning Fork Coupled with Resonator Tubes

A theoretical analysis and experimental investigation of the influence of gas pressure on resonance properties, namely, the quality factor and resonance frequency, of a T-shaped quartz tuning fork (QTF) is reported here. Two configurations are considered: a bare QTF, and a QTF coupled with a pair of resonator tubes (spectrophone). In both configurations, the effect of air on resonance frequency due to the additional inertia on prong motion and the influence of air damping on the quality factor, were analysed. By comparing the bare QTF and the spectrophone results, the effect of pressure on the acoustic coupling between the QTF and the tubes was theoretically modelled and then validated. The results show that acoustic coupling is strongly influenced by air pressure, leading to a shift of resonance frequency and a decrease in the quality factor up to 24%.