18MC406 - Metrology

and Measurements

Dr.A.Megalingam @ Murugan
Associate Professor
Department of Mechatronics
 Force ,Torque and Power Measurements
In many mechanical engineering applications force/acceleration, torque and power need to be measured.

Force/Stress measurement:
*Weighing of an object,
*Dynamics of vehicles,
*Control applications such as deployment of air bag in a vehicle,
*Study of behavior of materials under different types of loads,
*Vibration studies, Seismology or monitoring of earthquakes
Torque measurement:
*Measurement of brake power of an engine,
*Measurement of torque produced by an electric motor,
*Studies on a structural member under torsion
Power measurement:
*Measurement of brake horse power of an engine,
*Measurement of power consumed by an electric motor
Direct method:
Direct comparison is made between an unknown force
Analytical balance system
and the known gravitational force on a standard mass.
A force is exerted on a body of mass m due to the earth’s
gravitational field W = mg
The rotation of the balance arm is about the knife edge point or
fulcrum O.
The distance between the fulcrum and the centre of
gravity point CG is dG.
Let WB denote the weight of the balance arms and pointer

When the two weights W1 and W2 are equal, angle will be zero and
the weight of the balance arms and pointer will not influence.
equal-arm balance system is not appropriate for the measurement
of large weights.
 Platform balance system
Two smaller weights, poise weight Wx and pan weight Wy, are used for the measurement of a large weight W.
The initial zero balance can be set by an adjustable counter poise
The poise weight Wx is set to zero of the beam scale, and then the counterpoise is adjusted for obtaining the
initial balance before applying the unknown weight W on the platform.

weight W can be placed anywhere on the platform and

its position with respect to the knife edges of the platform
is not significant.
Indirect method:
is made by a calibrated transducer that senses gravitational attraction or weight.
The deformation due to a force applied on an elastic member is measured.
Strain gauge is stretched or compressed, resulting in a change in its
Cantilever beam for force measurement
length and diameter. This changes the resistance or output voltage of
the strain gauge gives a measure of the applied force.

Strains measured by all the four

*Cantilever is one of the simple devices used for the measurement of force. gauges are of equal magnitude

*One end of the cantilever is fixed and a force F is applied on the free end.

*Four strain gauges are bonded near the fixed end to measure the strain induced by the application of force.

*Two strain gauges are fixed on the top for measuring tensile strain( +e )

*Other two Strain gauges are fixed at the bottom side for measuring compressive strain −e.
Dynamometers are used to measure torque in internal combustion machines, small steam turbines,
pumps, compressors, etc.
The nature of the machine to be tested determines the kind of dynamometer to be used
for torque measurement.
Absorption dynamometers
If the machine generates power, the dynamometer employed must have the capability of absorbing that power.
Useful for measuring the power or torque developed by power sources such as engines or electric motors
Prony brake dynamometer- mechanical brake arrangement
*The fly wheel is attached to the shaft whose power needs to be determined

*Comprises two wooden blocks- mounted on either side of the fly wheel
*A lever arm is fixed to one block and the other arm is connected to an
arrangement provided to tighten the rope.

*Tightening of the rope is performed in order to enhance the frictional resistance

between the blocks and the flywheel.

The power dissipated in the brake is then calculated by

*P is the dissipated power in watts,
*L is the length of the lever arm in metres,
*N is the angular speed in revolution per minute,
* F is the force in Newton.
Driving dynamometers
In case the machine is a power absorber, the dynamometer must have the capacity to drive it
useful in determining performance characteristics of devices such as pumps and compressors.

*Torque and speed are measured under actual driving conditions of

an automobile engine.
*Tape recordings of such an exercise of an engine are obtained
and then simulated under laboratory conditions.
*Engine speed and torque are controlled by two feedback systems.
*The actual speed signal generated by the tachometer
generator, from the dynamometer, is compared with the
preferred speed that is set in the tape recorder.
*If the actual and the preferred speeds are not the same,
the dynamometer control is automatically adjusted until
they are equal.
*The load cell on the dynamometer measures the actual torque from
the engine, and is compared with the preferred torque that is set in
the tape recorder.
*If these two values differ, then the error signal generated
actuates the engine throttle control in the appropriate direction

Both torque control and speed control operate simultaneously and continuously
Transmission dynamometer
are passive devices placed at an appropriate location within the machine or between machines.
are used to sense torque at that particular location( torque meters).
Torsion-bar Dynamometer
*Elastic deflection of the transmitting element may be used for the measurement of
torque, which can be achieved by measuring either a gross motion or a unit strain.
*Difficulty in reading the deflection of the rotating shaft- employs optical
methods for deflection measurement

*Calibrated scales are used to read the relative angular

displacement of the two sections of the torsion bar.
*possible because of the stroboscopic effect of intermittent
viewing and persistence of vision.
*Replacing the scales on disks 1 and 2 with sectored disks, which are
alternately transparent and opaque sectors.
*human eye with an electro-optical transducer, a version having an
electrical output is obtained.
*When there is no torque, the sectored disks are positioned to give
a 50% light transmission area.
*The area of proportionality increases with positive torque and decreases with
negative torque, thus giving a linear and direction-sensitive electric output
Thank You