Instrumented Anchor Pin for Heavy Truck Brake

The bonded resistance strain gage has made possible a varety of force sensing transducers, commonly known as "load cells." Widely used types of load cells include the column, the bending beam, the ring, the circular plat and the shear web. To instrument the anchor pins used in heavy truck air braking systems, STRAINSERT will utilize proven research and evaluation techniques implemented during the development of STRAINSERT's Load Sensing Shear pins. These Load Sensing Shear pins or, in short, the Clevis Pin or Load Pin are designed as a direct replacement for the non-instrumented existing pins. This provides for a low cost method of force measurement without impacting or reducing the load capacity of the existing brake system design. STRAINSERT's patented method of internally bonded and sealed strain gage circuits inside small holes drilled into the Load Pin, provide for a robust transducer capable of surviving the harshest environments. Internally gaged load pins, invented by STRAINSERT (U.S. Patent 3,695,096), have been repetitively proven to be consistently accurate to within 0.5% of the full load capacity. STRAINSERT will research feasibility by assessing strength, interoperability, maintenance, and integration issues of incorporating an instrumented anchor pin into a heavy truck brake.