Mechanisms for measuring center of gravity and moment of inertia, and methods for measuring center of gravity and moment of inertia using such mechanisms.

Abstract

The invention proposes a mechanism for measuring the center of gravity and moment of inertia, and a method for measuring the center of gravity and moment of inertia using that mechanism. The mechanism is designed using a pneumatic ball joint in combination with counterweights, a rotating motor, a flywheel, a control computer, and a posture sensor to create simultaneous rotational motion along three axes with near-zero friction, thereby clearly reflecting the influence of the center of gravity and moment of inertia on rotational motion. The measurement method using the proposed mechanism is based on the fundamental relationship between the angular momentum of the rotating system on the pneumatic ball joint and the external force, which is the torque produced by the rotating motor and flywheel. The proposed mechanism and measurement method allow simultaneous measurement of the center of gravity and moment of inertia on all three axes in a single measurement. In addition, the mechanism can be customized to be compatible with test specimens of different masses.

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