Design of a six-component side-wall balance using optical fibre sensors

Abstract

The requirements that a wind tunnel balance need to satisfy have become increasingly stringent. These requirements, as set out by the wind tunnel testing community, include: improved static force accuracy and resolution, increased stiffness, temperature compensation and immunity to electromagnetic interference (EMI). In order to satisfy these requirements, wind tunnel balance design philosophy needs to include alternative strain sensing technologies, alternative materials and alternative manufacturing techniques. This paper outlines the expansion of balance design philosophy to incorporate displacement sensors. This is done on a six-component side wall balance using optical fibre Bragg grating sensors (OFBGs). The balance employs the two-groove optical fibre method. This method has been demonstrated by Pieterse, to work effectively whilst offering significant balance design simplification.