Design and simulation of 3-dof strain gauge force transducer

Abstract

Force transducers are capable of determining the magnitude of force applied by measuring strain deformations. The strain induced on the transducer is measured using strain gauges. Usually, the force transducers, being unidirectional, are able to sense only axial force or torque. This paper presents an innovative force transducer for sensing triaxial loads and moments pertaining to its unique shape which allows strategic placement of strain gauges. The transducer is designed in a frame-like structure by stacking three cantilever beams one in each orthogonal axis. Each frame is sensitive to the load applied in the corresponding orthogonal direction. This configuration provides advantage of uniform sensitivity in triaxial loading applications with negligible cross sensitivity. The transducer is having a proportional force and moment conversion due to its single body structure and isotropic material properties. A new design for the transducer is also proposed and the comparative behavior of both, for uniaxial and triaxial loading, is presented. The two designs are analyzed by FE analysis in ABAQUS for principle and shear strain with varying loading conditions.