Measurement 58 (2014) 544555

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Measurement
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/measurement

Design methodology of a six-component balance for measuring

forces and moments in water tunnel tests
N.M. Nouri , Karim Mostafapour, Maryam Kamran, Robab Bohadori
School of Mechanical Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Narmak, Iran

a r t i c l e

i n f o

Article history:
Received 8 April 2014
Received in revised form 31 July 2014
Accepted 5 September 2014
Available online 16 September 2014
Keywords:
Six-component
Forcemoment balance
Strain gauge
Water tunnel
Design evaluation

a b s t r a c t
This article describes the methodology used in the design and evaluation of a new, sixcomponent balance. This balance is used to measure the forces and moments in model
tests conducted in the water tunnel at the Iran University of Science & Technology (IUST).
To design the structural parameters of the balance, were used derived equations as well as
the nite element method in an iterative process. At every step in this process, the dimensions obtained from the derived equations were determined by considering the nominal
strain. The nite element method was used to demonstrate the manner in which the strain
was distributed and the reliability of the quantities obtained from the derived equations.
To evaluate the designed balance, the strain distribution, linearity, stiffness, and the balances ability to produce separate component outputs were investigated. The results that
were obtained indicating that the designed structure satised all the design criteria. A
rst-order model was used to calibrate the balance. The evaluation of the sensitivity matrix
showed that the error that resulted from the effects of the non-linearity associated with the
applied loads was less than 0.05%.
2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction
Measurement techniques are needed in water tunnel
tests in order to estimate different operating parameters
of hydrodynamic devices. Multi-component, strain-gauge
balances normally are used to measure the hydrodynamic
forces and moments in water tunnels. The force balance is
a complex, elastic structure with a number of exural components, and the forces exerted on the model cause strain
in the exural elements. The strains produced at specic
locations on the elastic components are converted to variation of electrical signals by strain gauges that have been
wired together as a Wheatstone bridge circuit. The electrical signals are proportional to the forces applied on the
model. By considering the relationship between the
Corresponding author. Tel.: +98 2177240540x2982; fax: +98
2177240488.
E-mail address: mnouri@iust.ac.ir (N.M. Nouri).
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.measurement.2014.09.011
0263-2241/ 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

applied force and the balances output signal and by using

the calibration models, the forces and moments exerted on
the model in the water tunnel can be measured directly.
Based on the design of their measuring elements, these
balances can measure from one to six components. The
separation of components from one another is achieved
through an appropriate design and wiring scheme of elastic elements. Each element should be capable of independently measuring a specic component of force and
moment with minimum interactions with the inuence
of other components. The ability to measure separate components and the linearity of the balance are two important
features of its performance [1]. Each of these factors is
inuenced by structural design, fabrication, and calibration. At the structural design stage, the balances ability
to measure separate components and the linearity of the
balance depend on the selected dimensions, structural
form, and materials. These parameters are obtained by
considering the design-related requirements and issues.

N.M. Nouri et al. / Measurement 58 (2014) 544555

Past research in this area focused on the performance characteristics of the elastic components of a force transducer
in order to obtain satisfactory performance. Elastic materials may exhibit different hysteresis responses, and the
selection of the type of material for the elastic components
causes different hysteresis errors in force transducers
[24]. The sensing element of the sensor should be
designed in such a way as to minimize interference errors
and to provide the proper distribution of strain at various
strain gauge locations. Some supplementary information
given in [5] and the nite element studies were used to
analyze the strain distribution on similar types of force
transducers [68].
The proper structural design of a balance requires an
accurate knowledge of the design criteria and adherence
to these criteria. No explanation is presented concerning
the extent to which each of these criteria exerts its inuence, because their relative importance depends on the
type of balance and the specic objective for which it will
be used. In addition, these criteria are not independent,
and many interactions exist between them. Therefore,
the method used for the structural design can affect the
cost and accuracy of the design. Different balances have
been designed specically based on the requirements of
water [912] and wind [1315] tunnels. This type of the
balance is used in water tunnel where the frequency test
is less than 10 Hz. Also, force balances were developed to
measure aerodynamic forces and moments on hypersonic
models in ground-based test facilities [16,17]. This measurement technique overcome the limitation with short
time test and can be used for measuring force and moment
on the cavitation test model in a water tunnel. The principles that govern the design of these balances were outlined
in [18,19]. However, there has been no mention in existing
documents of the process of determining the parameters of
the structural design. There is a lack of information regarding the process-performance relationships of transducers
due to highly-competitive market.
This article describes the methodology that was used to
design a new, six-component balance. This balance is used
for measuring the forces and moments in testing models in
the water tunnel at the Iran University of Science & Technology. The innovative methodology applied for the design
and evaluation of a new, six-component balance that it is
used for measuring the forces and moments in water tunnel tests is the novel contribution of this article.

2. Design requirements and considerations

The proper structural design of a balance requires accurate knowledge of the design criteria and adherence to
these criteria. No explanation is presented concerning the
extent to which each of these criteria exerts its inuence,
because their relative importance depends on the type of
balance and the specic objective for which it will be used.
In addition, these criteria are not independent, and many
interactions exist between them. The requirements and
considerations for the design of the balance are listed
below:

545

1. In view of the limitations on the size of the model, the

diameter of the balance cannot exceed 20 mm.
2. The ranges of forces and moments (nominal capacities)
that the balance can measure were dened as follows:

Drag force : F D 0 to 60 N
Lift force : F L 50 to 50 N
Side force : F Y 50 to 50 N
Pitching moment : M Y 1 to 1 N m
Rolling moment : M X 1 to 1 N m
Yawing moment : M Z 1 to 1 N m
3. Large signal strains with an appropriate safety factor
(acceptable sensitivity of the Wheatstone bridge): to
raise the sensitivity of the Wheatstone bridge, four
active strain gauges are used in the circuit. Bendingtype strains are produced in the locations where the
strain gauges were installed. The maximum output of
the Wheatstone bridge was assumed to be about
1.5 mV/V 10% [19].
4. High stiffness: As the stiffness of the exural elements
increases, the interference error decreases.
5. The deection of the balance with respect to its longitudinal axis should be minimized because it causes the
solutions to become non-linear.
6. The uniform distribution of strain where it is measured:
since the electrical output of each measuring element is
limited by the maximum allowable strain at the location of the strain gauge, this level of strain should exist
uniformly throughout the entire measurement network
so that the signal is maximized and the performance of
the balance is improved. To properly distribute the
strain, the maximum difference between the strains
produced at the measurement locations is considered
to be less than 15% of the maximum strain value [20].
7. Design for the ease of machining and installation of
strain gauges: one of the most important design considerations is the ease of installation of strain gauges and
the ease of the machining operation [21]. If the exural
elements are designed in such a way that the installation of the strain gauges and the machining process
are difcult to perform, high costs will be imposed on
the system.
8. High strength and low hysteresis [19]: loading in excess
of the dened design specications may cause internal
stresses in the force-measuring system. By selecting a
material with high strength and low hysteresis, there
will be less deviation from the linear state.
3. Structural design of the balance
The structural design of the balance allows it to measure the applied forces and moments along the coordinates
attached to the axes of the model. Flexural elements and
strain gauges were used for the design of the balance,
and each force or moment component was proportional

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N.M. Nouri et al. / Measurement 58 (2014) 544555

to the strain produced on a specic elastic element. Four

measurement sections were designed to measure the six
components of force and moment (Fig. 1). The separation
of forces and moments was made possible by the designs
of the sections of the balance and by the way the strain
gauges were positioned. Fig. 1 shows the balance that we
designed, and the measurement sections included:
 The drag-measurement section: Since the balance was
designed so that it was positioned along the axes
attached to the model, the drag-measurement section
was designed in such a way that the strain produced
as a result of axial force at the locations of the strain
gauges was bending strain type. The section contains
four gauges on each of the two sides of the exure
member, as shown in Fig. 1(c). Gauges D1, D2, D3 and
D4, were installed on beams at the beginning and end
of the section. The four gauges are connected together
to form one Wheatstone bridges, as shown. These
beams were able to withstand the loads of ve other
components, but they were relatively exible in the
direction of axial load.
 Rolling moment section: The rolling moment section is
a cross-shaped surface made up of four rectangular
beams (two horizontal and two vertical). The section
contains four gauges on each of the two sides of the
exure member, as shown in Fig. 1(b). Gauges R 1, R2,
R3 and R4, were installed on each of the four beams at
the end of the section. The four gauges are connected
together to form one Wheatstone bridges, as shown.
The application of load resulting from the rolling

moment created compressive strain at two of the

strain-gauge locations and tensile strain at the other
two locations. This cross-shaped section was very sensitive to moment changes, but it had relatively high stiffness against the other components. For this crossshaped section, the deformation created by the rolling
moment was directly converted to pure bending in
the beam.
 Pitching section: This section consisted of three rectangular beams. The lift force and the pitching moment
were measured by this section. The strain gauges were
installed on the side beam, and they were symmetrical
with respect to the central beam. The eight gauges are
connected together to form two Wheatstone bridges,
as shown Fig. 1(a). The pitching moment was almost
completely converted to tension or compression in the
side beams. By appropriately wiring and arranging the
strain gauges on the section, the lift force and bending
moment can be separated and measured independently. The beams were made sufciently thin so they
would have the required sensitivity, and they provided
the stiffness that was required and the minimum
amount of deviation from the centerline.
 Yawing section: The yawing section resembled the
pitching section with the exception that the yawing
section was rotated 90 about the middle axis relative
to the pitching section (Fig. 1(d)).
This balance is used for measuring the hydrodynamic
forces acting on model autonomous underwater vehicles
(AUVs) such as, submarines, torpedoes in a water tunnel.

Fig. 1. Six-component balance for the measurement of three force components and three moment components by means of strain gauges.

N.M. Nouri et al. / Measurement 58 (2014) 544555

The above balance are placed inside the test model.

The model shape shown in Fig. 2 is the length to diameter
(L/D) ratio of 9.5. The total length and maximum diameter
of the model was 0.333 and 0.035 m, respectively. The
model consists of three anodized aluminum pieces which
are connected to each other in the longitudinal direction.
At the aft end of the model, some clearance from the sting
was allowed to provide for model deections. Thus, there
is no contact between sting and the model and the endpoint of balance is xed to sting.
4. Design methodology
The measurement sections are the regions in the balance where the strains are measured. These sections were
designed in such a way that the applied loads produced a
bending type of stress at the locations of the strain gauges.
In the given design, the design variables were the locations
at which the strain gauges were installed and the dimensions of the exural elements. These dimensions were
determined from the design considerations, and they were
based on the nominal capacity and the nominal strain. To
design each of the measuring element, the structural
parameters were extracted using the equations and the
nite element method in an iterative process. In this process, at every step, the optimal dimensions obtained from
the derived equations were calculated by considering the
nominal strain. The nite element method demonstrated
the manner in which the strain was distributed and the
reliability of the dimensions obtained from the derived
equations.
4.1. Fundamental equations
The ultimate goal was to fabricate a balance in which
the selected section was sensitive in the direction of the
considered component and insensitive in the other directions. This objective can be accomplished through the
proper design of the sections and appropriate wiring techniques. Four active strain gauges were used to measure
each component of the balance in the Wheatstone bridge
circuit. Eq. (1) shows the relationship between the strain
that was produced and the output of the Wheatstone
bridge [19].

V
1
ke1  e2 e3  e4
Ve 4

where V is the output voltage, Ve is the input voltage, k is

the gauge factor, and e1,2,3,4 are the amounts of strain
obtained from the gauges. The measured strain is equal to:

r
E

where r is the stress measured by the gauge, and E is the

Youngs modulus of the material used to construct the

547

balance. The bending stress at the location of the strain

gauge location is dened as:

M
I
C

where CI and M are the section modulus and the moment

produced at the location of the gauge, respectively. Considering the design of the balance in which the strains generated at the locations of the strain gauges are equal, the
ratio of the input signal to output signal for the complete
bridge can be simplied as follows:

V
ke
Ve

4.2. Finite element method

A nite-element model can be thought of as a system of
solid springs. When a load is applied to the structure, all
elements deform until all forces balance. In this study the
nite-element analysis were carried out in order to analyze
the stress and strain distribution on the measurement sections. FEM was used to evaluate the strain values in the
area where the strain gauges were bonded. These values
were compared with those obtained from the equation.
For an analysis of the measurement sections, the following
assumptions were made.
(1) The elastic properties of the measurement sections
were independent of direction.
(2) The model was assumed to be perfectly elastic. A
perfectly elastic model was obeyed of Hooks law.
(3) There were no body forces on the measurement
sections.
(4) The load distributions on locations of contact of the
measurement sections were uniform.
The FE meshes consisted of linear tetrahedral elements, the tetrahedral elements can adjust more easily
to the curves and spline surfaces of the model, preserving
its proportion form. The solid structure is meshed using
NETGEN [22]. It is a powerful 3D tetrahedral mesh generator that can handle complex geometries and a great
variety of meshing options. Grid independence was
proved by taking a coarse, medium and a ne grid. All
further analysis was done using the ne structures grid.
In order to obtain the distribution of the strain, rst,
the measurement sections was simulated by some constraints. In simulation, the sections were isolated from
the balance, and their locations of contact are replaced
by different constrains. Strain probes were placed at relevant locations where strain gauges need to be mounted.
Strain distribution was analyzed based on maximum
loads throughout this study.

Fig. 2. Test model and balance assembly.

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N.M. Nouri et al. / Measurement 58 (2014) 544555

5. Design of the measuring elements

Selecting the types of materials for the balance required
a lot of attention and forethought, because these decisions
can have a signicant effect on the cost and performance of
the balance. The process of selecting the materials included
three major categories that had to be considered, i.e. (1)
mechanical characteristics, (2) thermal characteristics,
and (3) a number of other characteristics that can be generally referred to as fabrication considerations [20]. Two
of the most important and effective factors in the selection
of a material is the amount of stresses it will incur and the
accessible space based on the considerations and requirements of the design. Considering the said factors and also
the fact that the balance will be placed inside a water tunnel, TiAl6V4 was the material of choice. Based on the
design considerations, the maximum output of the Wheatstone bridge for the specied design can be considered to
be about 1.5 mV/V Since the exact value of the gauge factor
is not known in the design stage, we assumed that it was 2,
i.e. k = 2. Using Eq. (1), the amount of nominal strain at the
strain gauge location was calculated as 750 microstrain
microstrain 750  106 m=m. By inserting the amount
of strain obtained and the Youngs modulus of the selected
material E 110; 000 N=mm2 into Eq. (2), the design
stress was calculated at the location of the strain gauge
based on the maximum load of 82.5 MPa. Based on this
amount of calculated strain and the design considerations,
the dimensions of the measuring sections were determined from the relation (3).
5.1. Drag section
Fig. 3(a) shows the structure of the drag section. In the
gure, h is the thickness of the beam, b is the width of the
beam, and L is the distance between the two strain gauges
on the beam. This section was designed in such a way that
it acts like a beam that is xed at both ends in response to
the applied axial load; the amounts of strain produced at
the two locations of the strain gauges due to the axial load
are equal. By considering each beam as a beam with two
xed ends and substituting M F2D l, l 2L, C 2h and
3
1
I 12
bh into Eq. (3), the amount of bending stress at the
locations of the strain gauges can be obtained as:

3F D L
2bh

where r 82:5 MPa and F D 60 N. The initial values of

dimensions L, h, and b were approximated by Eq. (5). The
manner in which the strain of this section could be distributed in the longitudinal direction was investigated by
applying the load of F D 60 N. In order to obtain the distribution of the strain, rst, the drag section was simulated by
some constrains. In this simulation, the section was isolated from the balance, and their locations of contact are
replaced by different constrains. After the convergence of
the solution, the uniformity of the strain distribution and
the interference effects were examined and, if necessary,
the dimensions were corrected again using Eq. (5). This
procedure was continued until the dimensions that were
identied satised the design criteria. The distribution of
the strain along the installation line of the strain gauges
for the nalized dimensions is shown in Fig. 3(b). The difference between the values of strain obtained from Eq. (5)
and from the nite element method at the locations of the
strain gauges was 5%. Therefore, the results provided by
the FEM were considered to be reasonable considering
the sensitivity criterion of ea 750 ls  10% for nominal
strain.
5.2. Rolling moment section
Fig. 4(a) shows the structure of the rolling section. In
this gure, h, b, D and L are the thickness of the beam,
the width of the beam, the diameter of balance, the distance of the installed strain gauge from the middle of the
rolling section, along the axial direction, respectively. The
governing equations for the analysis of the rolling section
are similar to the equations associated with the drag section. The cross-shaped rolling section converts the rolling
moment to the bending moment in rectangular beams.
The designed section acts similar to a beam with two xed
ends. The amount of stress generated as a result of the rolling moment at the locations of the strain gauges is
obtained from the following relationship:

3FL
2

bh

Fig. 3. Structure and strain distribution of the drag-measurement section.

N.M. Nouri et al. / Measurement 58 (2014) 544555

549

Fig. 4. Structure and strain distribution of the rolling section.

The force exerted on each beam in the rolling section, F,

is equal to:

TAD  b
:
2J

In the above relationship T, J, and A are the rolling moment,

the second moment of area about the longitudinal axis of
balance, and the beams cross-sectional area, respectively.
 2 2

2
, T = Mx into
By substituting A = bh, J bh b h 3Db
3
Eq. (7) and substituting Eq. (7) into Eq. (6), the amount of
bending stress at the locations of the strain gauges is
obtained as:

3M x L

2
2
h2
2
bh bDb
3

D  b

where r 82:5 MPa and M x 1 N m. The procedure for

calculating the values of the dimensions (using Eq. (8)
and applying the nite element method) is similar to
the procedure used for the drag section. Fig. 4(b) shows
the distribution of the strain for the rolling section along
the installation line of strain gauges for the nalized
dimensions. The difference between the values obtained
from Eq. (8) and from the nite element method at the
location of the strain gauge was 5%. Therefore, the results
provided by the FEM were reasonable considering the
sensitivity criterion of ea 750 ls  10% for nominal
strain.
5.3. Pitching moment section
Fig. 5(a) shows the structure of the pitching section. In
this gure, h is the thickness of the beam, b is the width
of the beam, d is the distance between the balances two
side beams, and L is the distance between the two strain
gauges used to measure lift force along the axial direction.
The design of the pitching section allowed it separate the
pitching moment from the lift force. This section consisted
of three rectangular beams. To design the pitching section,
the dimensions L, h, and b were calculated by applying
pure force and not accounting for the pure effects of the
pitching moment. In response to pure force FL, each of
the beams acts as a beam with two xed ends. The bending

stress at the locations of the strain gauges was obtained

from:

3FL
bh

Based on Fig. 5(a) F F3L and the following values were

used to determine the values of the dimensions, i.e.
r 82:5 MPa and F L 50 N. The procedure for the calculation of the dimensions (using Eq. (9) and applying the nite
element method) was similar to the procedure used for the
drag section. Taking into account the design considerations
for the manner of strain distribution and the application of
the combined load (lift force and pitching moment), the
distance between the two side beams (d) were determined.
The effects of the combined load emerged in the form of
compressive stress and pure tension in the two side beams.
The stress due to the combined load at the locations of the
strain gauges, which was used for the measurement of the
pitching moment, is equal to:

MY F L  S
:
dhb

10

In the above relationship, S denotes the distance

between the point of application of the load and the location of the strain gauge for the measurement of the
moment. To calculate d using Eq. (10), the following values
were used: M Y 1 N m, F L 50 N, r 82:5 MPa and
S 36 mm. The values of h and b have already been calculated. For the pitching section, the distribution of the strain
along the installation line of the strain gauges, which was
obtained through the nite element method for the nal
dimensions by applying the pure and combined loads, is
shown in Fig. 5(b) and (c), respectively. The maximum difference between the values of strain obtained from Eqs. (9)
and (10) and from the nite element method at the locations of the strain gauges was 1.5%. Therefore, the results
provided by the FEM were reasonable, considering the sensitivity criterion of ea 750 ls  10% for nominal strain.
5.4. Yawing moment section
Fig. 6(a) shows the structure of the yawing section. In
this gure, h is the thickness of the beam, b is the width
of the beam, d is the distance between the balances two

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N.M. Nouri et al. / Measurement 58 (2014) 544555

Fig. 5. Structure and strain distribution of the pitching section.

side beams, and L is the distance between the two strain

gauges used to measure the side force along the axial
direction. The governing equations for the analysis and
the procedures for calculating the dimensions of the yawing section are similar to those used in pitching section. To
determine the values of the dimensions, the following relationships were used: M z 1 N m, F s 50 N, r 82:5 MPa
and S 150 mm. For the yawing section, the distribution
of strain along the installation line of the strain gauges,
which was obtained using the nite element method for
the nal dimensions by applying the pure and combined
loads, is shown in Fig. 6(b) and (c), respectively. The maximum difference between the strain values obtained from
Eqs. (9) and (10) and from the nite element method at
the locations of the strain gauges was 2%. Therefore, the
results provided by the FEM were reasonable considering
the sensitivity criterion of ea 750 ls  10% for nominal
strain.

6. Strain analysis
The electrical output of each measuring section
depends on the strain produced at the locations of the
strain gauges; therefore, the manner of strain distribution
where the strain gauges were installed would be effective

in improving the balances performance. Following the calculation of the main dimensions of the balance, strain distribution was analyzed based on maximum loads. The
analysis of the strain distribution was performed by FEM,
and 3D tetrahedral mesh was applied on the model. For
the simulation of the balance, 991,764 mesh elements
were generated. Four types of loads were used to evaluate
the distribution of the strain, and this distribution for the
application of each load is shown in Fig. 7.
The rst load that was applied was the force of drag.
The strain distribution resulting from the drag force was
shown along the installation locations of the strain gauges.
Fig. 7(a) shows that the difference between the maximum
and minimum strains at the locations of the strain gauges,
considering a gauge length of 1 mm, was less than 14% of
the maximum strain. Also, the difference between maximum values of sensitivity obtained from the derived equations and from the FE analysis (using Eq. (1) at the strain
gauges installation locations in the drag section) was 4%.
The second applied load was the rolling moment about
the x-axis. Fig. 7(b) shows the distribution of strain that
was produced as a result of the rolling moment. Fig. 7(b)
shows that the difference between the maximum and minimum strains at the strain gauges installation locations,
considering a gauge length of 1 mm, was less than 15%
of the maximum strain. Also the difference between the

N.M. Nouri et al. / Measurement 58 (2014) 544555

Fig. 6. Structure and strain distribution of the yawing section.

Fig. 7. Strain distribution for four types of loadings.

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N.M. Nouri et al. / Measurement 58 (2014) 544555

Fig. 8. Von Mises stress for critical loading.

maximum values of sensitivity obtained from the derived

equations and from the FE analysis (using Eq. (1) at the
strain gauges installation locations in the rolling section)
was 4%.
The third applied load was a combination of the lift
force and the pitching moment. Fig. 7(c) shows the distribution of strain produced by the application of the combined load. Fig. 7(c) shows that the difference between
the maximum and minimum strains at the strain gauges
locations, considering a gauge length of 1 mm, was less
than 13% of the maximum strain. And the difference
between the maximum values of sensitivity obtained from
the derived equations and from the FE analysis (using Eq.
(1) at the strain gauges installation locations at this section on) was 5%.
The fourth applied load was a combination of the side
force and the yawing moment. Fig. 7(d) shows the strain
analysis along the installation locations of the strain
gauges. This gure also illustrates the distribution of the
strain produced as a result of the combined load.
Fig. 7(d) shows that the difference between the maximum
and minimum strains at the strain gauges installation
locations, considering a gauge length of 1 mm, was less
than 10% of the maximum strain. Also, the difference
between the maximum values of sensitivity obtained from
derived equations and from the FE analysis (using Eq. (1) at
the strain gauges installation locations at this section) was
5%.
By comparing the strains obtained at the locations of
the strain gauges using the nite element method and
the derived equations for four types of loadings and considering the sensitivity criterion 1:5 mV=V  10%, it
was concluded that the analyses that were performed produced acceptable results. Considering the analysis of strain
performed for four types of loadings, the difference
between the maximum and minimum strains at strain
gauges installation locations, considering a gauge length
of 1 mm, was less than 15%, which is acceptable with
regards to the design criterion for strain distribution.
7. Stress analysis
A six-component balance is a complex structure with
many different dimensions. In IUSTs water tunnel tests,

combined loads are normally applied on the experimental

models. Such combined loads induce more complicated
stresses in the balance and therefore require special attention. In these conditions, the stress analysis of the balance
is a concern. For the analysis of stress, the real-case combined loads were evaluated by different models, and the
critical loading cases were selected. In this loading, six
components with nominal values were applied simultaneously on the balance tip. The type of mesh conguration
was similar to that in the strain distribution analysis,
which could also be valid for stress analysis considering
the results obtained, as compared to the values determined
from the derived equations. Fig. 8 shows the Von Mises
stress for the applied loads. In view of the illustrated distribution, the maximum stress occurred at the side section.
The maximum stress value was 583 MPa, which, in comparison with the allowed stress of 1000 MPa, provided an
acceptable safety margin.
8. Review of interactions and interference effects
To minimize interference effects, it is necessary to
install the strain gauges at the proper locations. The positions of the installed strain gauges used for the detection
of forces are shown in Fig. 1. For the installation and wiring
of the strain gauges bridges, the following considerations
were envisioned:
 For measuring each component, four active strain
gauges in the form of a Wheatstone bridge were
installed next to each other.
 The installations location and arrangement of the strain
gauges as a Wheatstone bridge were planned in such a
way that the strain gauge had maximum sensitivity in
the direction of the considered component and the lowest reaction to other components.
In order to evaluate the sensitivity and interference
effects, after determining the installation locations of the
strain gauges, the ratio of output voltage to input voltage
of each channel was calculated using the values of strain
obtained from the nite element method and formula
(1). The VVOUT
ratio of each bridge versus the applied load
IN
is shown in Fig. 9 for the six types of loadings. VOUT and

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553

Fig. 9. Voltage ratio versus applied load for six force and moment measuring channels.

VIN are the output and input voltages of each channel,

respectively. The range of loading for the balance was from
zero to the nominal capacity of each component, which is
indicated in the plotted diagrams. The diagrams demonstrate the linear performance of the balance against the
applied loads. By choosing suitable installation locations
for the strain gauges and wiring them properly as a Wheatstone bridge, it was possible for this balance to measure
the forces and moments separately. In response to the load
of the corresponding plane, every measuring section provided the desired sensitivity and the required stiffness
against the other components. Fig. 9 shows that the maximum sensitivity of the Wheatstone bridge for the four
measuring sections, considering the nominal load, was in
the range of 1.361.63 mV/V, which constitutes an

acceptable sensitivity range for the

 balance if we consider

the design sensitivity criterion of VVOUT
1:5 mV=V  10% .
IN
9. Error analysis result
For error analysis, the designed balance must be calibrated. Generally, there are different models for the calibration of the balance, i.e. different orders of equations
(rst, second, or third order) can be used depending on
the types of equations selected for data processing and
the desired degree of precision. In this article, after comparing various calibration models and considering different parameters with respect to the requirements of the
water tunnel tests under investigation and the balances
design, the [R] = [C][H] model was used [23]. In this model,

554

N.M. Nouri et al. / Measurement 58 (2014) 544555

Table 1
Errors for each component for a sample loading case.
Type of
applied
load

Magnitude of
applied load

Magnitude of load calculated from

sensitivities ([H] = [C1][R])

Magnitude of load calculated from the

rst-order coefcients ([H] = [C1][R])

Interference
error
percentage

Nonlinear
error
percentage

Lift
Pitch
Roll
Drag
Side
Yaw

19
0.4940
0.2
26
14
0.8760

19.5128
0.4822
0.1917
26.0286
14.1313
0.8894

19.0082
0.4939
0.0001
26.0044
14.0056
0.8756

2.70
2.39
1.00
0.11
0.94
1.53

0.043
0.020
0
0.017
0.04
0.046

the output voltage (R) is a function of calibration coefcients (C) and applied loads on the balance (H). To obtain
the calibration coefcients, the loading of the balance
was conducted by taking the real conditions of tests into
account. The loads were applied according to Fig. 9. The
electrical output of each measuring section depends on
the strain produced installation locations of the strain
gauges. Therefore, the strain at the locations of the strain
gauges (according to Fig. 7) was calculated using the nite
element method. After determining the strain at installation locations of the strain gauges, the VVOUT
ratio of each
IN
bridge was calculated by substituting the values of strain
obtained from the nite element method into the formula
(1). The rst-order coefcients were determined from the
data of discrete loads applied on the balance and the ratio
of the output voltage to the input voltage using the least
squares regression method proposed by Ramaswamy
et al. [24]. In this method, the calibration coefcients are
determined based on the assumption that the sum of the
differences of the squares between the measured voltage
ratio and the voltage ratio obtained from calibration coefcients is a minimum value.
For the six-component balance, calibration is always
represented by six different equations; but the number of
terms in each equation can vary depending on the order
of the equation. In the designed balance, the range of stresses, in comparison with the yield strength TiAl6V4, is
relatively low, so the second-order interactions were disregarded against the rst-order interactions.
The sensitivity matrix is the inverse form of matrix [C],
with the following array values:
2

0:6756
6 0:0090
6
6
6 0:0005
C 1 6
6 0:0001
6
6
4 0:0374
0:0000

3
0:0048 0:0453 0:0012 0:0234 0:0004
0:7240 0:0011 0:0017 0:0008 0:0176 7
7
7
0:0000 0:6365 0:0003 0:0001 0:0057 7
7:
0:0002 0:0001 0:6235 0:0003 0:0001 7
7
7
0:0003 0:0453 0:0001 0:6930 0:0016 5
0:0305 0:0405 0:0001 0:0007 0:5982

The coefcients that were obtained indicate the sensitivities and interactions without considering the effects
of fabrication, assembly, and wiring. The percentage error
is dened as:

Percentage error

Applied load  Computed load

 100:
Applied load
11

Table 1 shows the data obtained from the calibration

equations and also the percentage of error for a sample
loading case. The interference errors were determined

from the sensitivities. The maximum error that resulted

from the interference effects of the applied loads was less
than 3%. Non-linear interaction terms omitted in this calibration and the process of tting curves to obtain the calibration constants introduce non-linear errors in the
calculated forces and moments. The results show that the
six-component balance developed in this study has good
performance, with the errors of non-linearity and repeatability less than 0.05%.
10. Conclusions
The innovative methodology was applied to the design
and evaluation of a new, six-component balance that it is
used for measuring the forces and moments in water tunnel tests. The use of derived equations as well as the nite
element method for determination of structural parameters of the designed balance resulted in the reduction of
the time required for the design and increased the reliability of the solutions. The six-component balance developed
in this study has good performance, with the errors of nonlinearity and repeatability less than 0.05%, and interference
effects less than 3%. The results of our evaluations indicated that the dimensions obtained in an iterative process
using analytical and numerical methods satised all the
design criteria. Therefore, the design and evaluation process used for the new, six-component balance could provide a pattern for the design of similar, multi-component
balances.
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