The research group ERC Instabilities coordinated by professor Davide Bigoni at the Department of Civil, environmental and mechanic engineering of the University of Trento developed a new weight measuring device is based on a novel concept: the scale can weigh with or without a counterweight and can perform better than more traditional weighting systems.
The novelty of this tool lies in the fact that the rigid arms of usual scales are replaced by a flexible elastic strip, free to slide in a frictionless, inclined sliding sleeve which can reach a unique equilibrium configuration when two vertical loads are applied.
Equilibrium, which may seem impossible at a first glance, is guaranteed because ‘configurational forces’ develop at the two edges of the sleeve as a consequence of both the free sliding condition and the deformability of the strip.
The scales, commonly used to weight, may play an important role also in the evaluation of the technology development level achieved by a community in a specific period of time.
Starting from its evolution one may infer the level of technology development – as related to mechanics and engineering - and also the complexity and organization of the social and economic relationships of a society.
The measuring of the weight is a very common action, dating back to the earliest days of civilization. In fact, the scale has evolved over millennia, developing from the simplest comparative scales (for instance the classic Roman balance based on the principle of the lever), towards the modern digital weighting systems (inspired by the principle of the elastic balance, invented at the end of the 17th century by Robert Hooke and based on the elongation of a spring). These are suitable for different technological sectors. The innovative idea of the new scale is the combination of both the mechanical principles underlying the two classical systems, to obtain an even more precise weighing tool.
Professor Bigoni and his research team, made of Francesco Dal Corso, Diego Misseroni and Federico Bosi, tested the prototype in the "Instabilities Lab" of the Department of Civil, environmental and mechanic engineering, They have recently discovered innovative applications of configurational mechanics to elastic structures and realized prototypes based on these principles to be employed in various applications including the weight measure. The technological applications of the developed prototypes are often difficult to imagine, but may be surprising.
Professor Davide Bigoni explained that “During the development of innovative devices, like the elastica arm scale. We focus completely on research, on the scientific and technological challenge, on the laws of mechanics and engineering. At the moment, it is not easy to foresee the impact of our ‘elastic scale’ and in which field it might raise interest, be developed and applied. The most interesting feature of our device is the possibility to measure with a sensitivity higher than the classical scale, at least within a certain range of weights. It could therefore be used for advanced applications in the aerospace engineering or nanotechnology, where extremely precise measures may be required”.
The prestigious British Journal Proceedings of the Royal Society A has dedicated its cover page of the October Issue to this research achievement