6-Axis Load Cell

A wind tunnel fixture that expanded student measurements from one or two axes to full six-axis force and moment data.

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What happened

Build story

I created a 6-axis load cell test fixture to make it easier for students to use MSOE's wind tunnel while also improving the quality of the data they could collect.

Older fixtures relied on spring scales or coupled load cells and only exposed one or two axes. This setup uses six inexpensive load cells, a low-cost microcontroller, a 3D printed Stewart-platform-style arrangement, and a laser-cut mounting fixture so students can capture forces and moments around all three axes.

At first I used calibration data to fit a linear coefficient matrix. Students then did exactly what students do best and pushed the fixture beyond the range where that assumption held.

To handle those nonlinear cases, I collected more calibration data, trained a shallow neural network for inference of applied forces and moments, and integrated it into the MATLAB data collection workflow the students were already using.

Why it mattered

Project notes

Moved wind tunnel labs from limited force readings to full six-axis data collection.
Designed the fixture, circuits, and software and fabricated the custom components.
Replaced a linear calibration model with a neural-network-based inference step when student designs exceeded expected ranges.