Extremely Small Balance Technology

Accurate knowledge of the aerodynamic loading associated with stores leaving cargo/weapons bays on military aircraft is critical in ensuring reliable safe-separation. Wind tunnel testing is a valuable design tool that allows for the prediction of the trajectory of small stores during separation. However, due to the small size of the wind tunnel models, extremely small balance systems are needed to resolve the forces and moments acting on the stores. Unfortunately, current balance systems are not available at the scale required to fit inside such a small test article. Ahmic Aerospace and our assembled team propose an innovative new approach to small balance technology. Semiconductor gages will be used for their favorable robustness, large signal output, and extremely small size compared to traditional transducer methods. In Phase I, a small-scale four-component balance system will be designed, manufactured, and instrumented as a test platform for the semiconductor measurement technology. Acceptance testing, NIST calibrations, laboratory demonstrations, and supersonic wind tunnel tests will be conducted to demonstrate the feasibility of the semiconductor gages, establish measurement accuracy, and guide future program efforts. Lastly, a small-scale six-component balance system capable of meeting all SBIR requirements will be designed and simulated in preparation for Phase II.