Load Cell to Measure the Pressure Distribution Using Strain Data (2nd Report, Experimental Manufacture of Load Cell to Measure Foot Pressure)

Abstract

In the several engineering fields, biological, sports, aeronautical, aerospace engineering, and so on, measurements of pressure distribution applied on the surface of the structure are very important issues. In the previous paper and the present paper, identification of pressure distribution applied on the structure employing strain data measured on the area apart from contact zone was investigated. In the previous paper, the authors suggested the basic theory and numerical treatment for identification of the pressure based on inverse analysis, and examined validity of the method by a numerical demonstration for the estimation of foot pressure. In the present paper, an experimental verification of the identification technique suggested in the previous paper is demonstrated. Outline of the load cell to measure the pressure distribution based on the theory and actual process of the identification using this load cell is described. Furthermore, Tiknonov's method and truncation of singular value decomposition (TSVD) has been employed to stabilize the numerical solution obtained by inverse analysis, and the usefulness of the optimization techniques is demonstrated.