3465. Advances on Inertia Tensor and Centre of Gravity Measurement: The Intenso+ System

Paper

Abstract

The accurate and quick measurement of the inertia properties of rigid bodies is dealt with in the paper. Firstly, a survey of the current measurement/identification methods is given, highlighting the expected accuracy and practical implementation issues for each method. The test rigs developed at the Politecnico di Milano (Technical University of Milan) for the identification of the inertia properties are
presented. These test rigs (named InTenso and InTensino, being InTensino just a scaled version of the InTenso system) have been in use since 2001 for the identification of the inertia tensor of rigid bodies ranging from 50 to 3500 kg. Such test rigs are multi-cable/rod pendulums carrying the body under identification. The cables can be configured in order to let the body swing around (approximately) its
centre of mass. From the recorded motion the inertia tensor is identified by a proper numerical procedure.
In the second part of the paper, the attention is focused on a new implementation of the InTenso and
InTensino test rigs. In such a new implementation, the new test rigs (InTenso+ and InTensino+) are able to identify both the inertia tensor and the centre of gravity location during one single experiment. Due to the very simple hardware and instrumentation involved, the very short measurement time and the
relatively high accuracy, these test rigs seem suitable for commercial development.