Making of an all-purpose load transducer

There are situations that require the determination of loads being transmitted to a structure. It is not always possible to insert a load cell, so it is proposed that the structure itself and a set of strain gages be used to determine each of the applied loads (forces and moments) that caused the measured strains. In essence, the structure has become a transducer;Although a set of loads will uniquely deform a structure, the measurements can only be made at a finite number of points. However, in most situations, this data is sufficient to reveal the combination of loads that caused it;This dissertation describes the development of a technique for determining the loads from measured strains. Scope and limitations of the technique are discussed along with the associated error estimates. The penultimate chapter describes an actual experiment performed in the laboratory to confirm the theoretical developments described in the first three chapters. Important conclusions are drawn in the last chapter, which also points to future developments anticipated by the author