Different Sizes of Task/Able Multi-piece Balances

Cutaway Drawings of Task/Able Multi-piece Balances

Inside the Task Multi-piece Balance

Task/Able multi-piece or two-piece balance consists of a inner rod and a outer shell joined by strain-gage flexures (or internal gages of balance normal, roll moment, axial). Howard Ward of Task/Able was chief designer of the two-piece balance, and currently works as consultant to Aerophysics Research Instruments.

Outer shell on left, inner rod on right. Slots are for gage flexures.	Internal gages of multi-piece balance. N1 gage flexure on left, roll moment flexure in center, and axial gage flexure on right.
Another view of outer shell and inner rod. Notice off center thickness of outer shell.	View of inner rod and outer. This view shows direction inner rod inserts into outer shell. Not seen is front of balance that is closed on front.

N1 gage element:

Closeup view N1 gage element front and side. Strain gage attached to portion which senses stress in one alignment only. Gage, minus wiring, from a 1.5 inch Mk2 balance that was dis-assembled (other flexures broke).

View of a 2.5" Mk40 balance showing front plate of balance:

Note that N+ arrow is not exactly aligned with gages. Balance is mounted on a 2.5" to 4" taper adapter. Cross-hash portion are contacts to model or calibration body. Dual allen-wrench bolts hold gage flexures, between cross-hashes are the forward and aft pin holes. Force inserted pins secure balance to model or cal body.

Ames MC400 (floor) Balance

Ames has a small inventory of floor balances designed for use of semi-span wind tunnel models. This is one of them shown installed in model preparation room. Photo on right has attached checkload hardware.

Ames MC400 floor balance mounted on cylindrical platform in floor pit of preparation room. Instrumentation cable seen on lower right.	Same floor balance with checkload hardware attached.

Sandberg Serrell Automated Balance Calibration Machine

Front view showing weight pans with various weights for each six gages (weight pans no longer used and are in locked position).	Control system with Compumotors operated from HP3852 system running HP "Rocky Mountain Basic" program) and data acquisition system for Bal Cal machine seen on left. In background is Transmetrics Balance Calibration Machine that was used for 1 to 1.5 inch balances.
Closeup view of weight pans of Sandberg Serrell machine.	View of data acquistion system. This PC contains load schedule to drive the control system mentioned above. Gage outputs are measured from a HP3458 precision voltmeter.
Here is a 1951 illustration of proposed balance calibration machine as drawn by George Brown (BSME from Caltech 1949), project and design engineer of this system for Sandberg Serrell Consulting Engineers (Sandberg Serrell was in Pasadena, CA).

Autoloader for use on Handload Balance Calibrations

Autoloader for use on handload balance calibrations which can apply up to 2200 lbs in 200 lb increments.	Instead of rigging and swinging individual weights bottom tray of autoloader lowers to apply interlocking weights as needed.

Webmaster:
   Michael Wright michael.f.wright@nasa.gov

Last modified on 10.23.08