High-Capacity Balance with Tailored Compliance

The internal balances used to measure the loads on wind tunnel models have reached a high level of development, but the current state of the art can struggle to deliver the size, sensitivity, and capacity needed for highly loaded models.  The Air Force needs a new approach or architecture for internal balances to improve the accuracy of wind tunnel measurements.  Dynamic Structures and Materials (DSM) proposes the development of a new type of balance with tailored compliance.  By introducing localized directional compliance, measurement of the different types of loading will be decoupled.  This will improve the capacity and sensitivity of the balance and will give more flexibility to set the capacity for different types of loads independently.  The loads described in the topic description will be accommodated by a 2.5-inch diameter balance with the specified safety factors.  The proposed approach is based on well-developed design techniques for compliant mechanisms; DSM believes it offers a path to meeting the topic requirements with a high probability of success.