Design of a Five-Axis Load Cell for Submerged Wing Testing in an Oil Tank

Abstract

The design of a load cell utilizing the bending beam principle is presented. The load cell measures the forces and moments created by a flapping wing submerged in an oil tank. The design process is described starting with an overview of the design methodology and the conceptual design. The functional and geometric constraints are then identified. Performance requirements are used to optimize the load cell geometry and detail the conceptual design. The electrical circuit design is described in detail, including the design of the bridge circuits used, gauge placement, and corrections applied to account for thermal, drift, and zero loading errors. Finite-element simulations are presented to justify the locations of the gauges on the load cell. The manufacturing and installation process is described, as well as required future work including calibration and testing of the load cell.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 2011
Accession Number
ADA562393

Entities

People

  • John Gerdes

Organizations

  • United States Army Research Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Calibration
  • Cells
  • Circuits
  • Data Acquisition
  • Electrical Circuits
  • Geometry
  • Load Cells
  • Manufacturing
  • Measurement
  • Mechanical Properties
  • Mechanics
  • Military Research
  • Modulus Of Elasticity
  • Oil Tanks
  • Resistance
  • Stiffness
  • Strain Gages

Fields of Study

  • Engineering
  • Physics

Readers

  • Aerodynamics/Aeronautics.
  • Software Engineering
  • Structural Dynamics.