Advanced Mass Properties Measurement

Instructor: 

Paul Kennedy, Space Electronics

Class Description: 

Overview:

  1. To provide training in the measurement of moment of inertia, center of gravity, and product of inertia, with emphasis on the pitfalls that can result in measurement errors. Students will make actual measurements of all three mass properties using state of the art equipment in it's design lab.
  2. To demonstrate the process of measuring POI by making three moment of inertia measurements with the test item oriented in different positions, rather than by spinning the object.
  3. To review the process of calculating POI

Who Should Attend:

Anyone who has an interest in mass properties measurement This course covers the full range from the basics of measurement to the relatively specialized field of POI measurement using a torsion pendulum. It is taught by a well known expert in the field. 

Course Activities and Exercises:

  • Review of Mass Properties quantities & their units of measurement:
  • Review principles of mass properties measurement:
  • Discussion of Calibration, Tare, & Part measurements:
  • Center of Gravity Location
  • Moment of Inertia
  • Regroup in Measurement lab
  • Introduction to a Mass Properties measuring Instrument
  • CG and MOI Calibration
  • Measure CG and MOI Tares
  • Principles of Product of Inertia Measurement
  • Introduction to MOI method to find POI
  • Regroup in Measurement lab
  • Measure CG & MOI of part in 3 orientations
  • Set up machine for POI Measurements
  • Measure POI tare
  • Measure POI part
  • Regroup in Conference room
  • Calculate theoretical POI
  • Calculate POI using MOI data
  • Compare results of three methods