Application of Re-Entrant Auxetic Tubular Truss-Like Structure in Force Measurements

Force measurement plays an important role in condition monitoring and quality evaluation of automated system. In this article, a new force measurement method based on the auxetic tubular truss-like structure is proposed. The proposed method utilizes the principle that the elastic deformation of the auxetic tubular truss-like structure leads to changes in its diameter, which in turn results in variations in the output current of the solar cell. The effectiveness of the proposed method is investigated by geometrical analysis and experiments. Three measuring devices with a re-entrant auxetic tubular truss-like structure are prepared using 3-D printing technology. Subsequent experiments are conducted to validate the sensitivity and linearity of the proposed method, along with assessments of repeatability and reliability. The experimental results indicate that, in multiple experiments, the average sensitivity of the proposed method reaches 0.049 mV/N without signal amplification. Moreover, this method demonstrates good repeatability and reliability, suggesting its potential applications in the field of force measurement.