Strain gauges based sensor system for measuring 3-D deflections of flexible beams

A sensor system has been designed for the real time measurement of 3-D deflections of flexible beams (position and orientation of the tip). The sensor system is based on resistive strain gauges placed strategically at different locations of the beam. A linear model based on the classical theory of the deflection of flexible beams has been used to calculate the position and orientation of the beam tip from the strain gauges measurements. Furthermore, it has been necessary to include a nonlinear term in the model to calculate the coordinate x of the beam tip. Experimental results demonstrate the feasibility of the sensor system.