Vortex shedding flow meter with stress concentration signal enhancement

DETAILED DESCRIPTION We claim: 1.
A vortex shedding flowmeter comprising in combination: (a) a body including a wall that defines a flow passage extending from one extremity to the other extremity of said body; (b) vortex generating means for shedding periodic vortices in a fluid flowing in said flow passage, said vortex generating means being disposed across a first cross-section of said flow passage and being oriented substantially perpendicular to the central axis of said flow passage; (c) a vortex sensing member disposed across a second cross section of said flow passage substantially parallel to said vortex generating member, said first vortex sensing member having a slender, elongated midportion with a thin cross-sectional dimension oriented generally transverse to the central axis of said passage and a wide cross-sectional dimension oriented generally parallel to the central axis of said flow passage, one extremity of said slender, elongated midportion of said vortex sensing member being supported by a flange of a thin diaphragm construction secured to a stocky container member having a cavity therein adjacent to said flange of a thin diaphragm construction providing an abrupt transition in the cross section from said slender, elongated midportion of said vortex sensing member to said stocky container member, said stocky container member being secured to the wall of said flow passage; and (d) at least one transducer means contained within said cavity in contact with said flange of a thin diaphragm construction for converting alternating stresses on said flange of a thin diaphragm construction created by alternating lift forces on the slender, elongated midportion of said vortex sensing member to an electrical signal such that said transducer means detects the frequency of alternating lift forces created by the vortices periodically generated by said vortex generating member as a measure of velocity of a fluid moving through said flow passage.
2.
The combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein said combination includes data processor means electrically connected to said transducer means for converting vortex shedding frequency to flow data