The necessity of accelerometer recalibration for measurement accuracy

From monitoring vibration and structural integrity to enabling flight control and navigation, accelerometers are essential for safety-critical decisions across aerospace and other high-risk industries. Yet despite their importance, accelerometers are often treated as “fit and forget” devices, calibrated only at mandated intervals. In reality, this approach exposes organisations to avoidable risk.

Regular recalibration is a fundamental requirement for maintaining measurement accuracy, safeguarding operational performance and protecting against the hidden consequences of sensor drift.

Why accelerometer accuracy degrades over time

Accelerometers are precision instruments that are far from immune to change. Over time, their output can drift away from true values due to a combination of mechanical, environmental and operational factors.

Thermal cycling, sustained vibration, mechanical shock and ageing of internal components all contribute to gradual performance degradation. In aerospace environments in particular, accelerometers are exposed to extreme temperature variations, high-frequency vibration and repeated loading cycles. Even small deviations can accumulate, leading to measurements that appear plausible but are no longer accurate.

The challenge is that drift is rarely obvious. An accelerometer may continue to produce stable, repeatable readings that are nonetheless wrong. Without recalibration, this loss of accuracy can go undetected until it manifests as a safety issue, a failed audit or an unexpected operational event.

The aerospace perspective - when small errors carry large consequences

In aerospace applications, accelerometer accuracy is directly linked to safety, reliability and certification. These sensors feed into systems that support flight dynamics analysis, structural health monitoring, inertial navigation and vibration testing of components and assemblies.

A marginal measurement error in an accelerometer may have limited impact in a low-risk industrial setting. In aerospace, the same error can lead to incorrect assumptions about system behaviour. Over time, this increases the likelihood of unplanned maintenance, component failure or costly investigation work. Because of this, aerospace calibration best practice has long recognised that minimum regulatory calibration intervals represent a baseline, not a target.

Why calibrating more frequently than required makes sense

Regulations and standards define minimum calibration intervals to ensure broad compliance. However, they cannot account for how intensively a specific instrument is used, nor the severity of its operating environment. Two identical accelerometers, deployed in different applications, may age at very different rates.

More frequent recalibration allows engineers to:

• Detect drift early, before it compromises data integrity
• Validate performance after exposure to shock, overload or extreme conditions
• Maintain confidence in long-term trend data used for predictive maintenance
• Reduce the risk of failed audits or rejected test results

From a risk management perspective, recalibration is a preventative control. It reduces uncertainty in measurement data, which in turn reduces the likelihood of downstream failures, rework or safety incidents.

Operational efficiency and the hidden cost of infrequent calibration

There is a common perception that more frequent calibration increases cost and downtime. In practice, the opposite is often true.

When accelerometers are recalibrated proactively, issues are identified under controlled conditions rather than during testing or operation. This avoids scenarios where entire test campaigns must be repeated or assets are taken out of service unexpectedly.

Consistent recalibration also supports better asset management. By understanding how quickly specific sensors drift in real operating conditions, organisations can optimise calibration intervals based on evidence rather than assumption. This data-driven approach improves equipment availability whilst maintaining accuracy.

Why the right calibration partner matters

In high-risk environments such as aerospace, accurate accelerometer data cannot be left to chance or minimum compliance alone. Recalibration needs to reflect how instruments are actually used, the conditions they operate in and the consequences of inaccurate data.

DM Systems Group provides expert accelerometer calibration backed by UKAS accreditation, deep aerospace experience and a clear understanding of measurement risk. By aligning recalibration practices with real operational demands, DM helps engineers protect data integrity, reduce uncertainty and maintain confidence in safety-critical systems.