Design and Analysis of an S-Type Load Cell for FBG-Based Force Measurement

This study compares the performance of three Finite Element Analysis (FEA) software packages-Ansys and Autodesk Inventor (utilizing both Nastran and Stress Analysis solvers)-in predicting strain on an S-type load cell designed for Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensor integration. The objective was to achieve a target strain of 2000 microstrain at the sensor location under a 1000 N tensile load. Despite using a consistent model with a 2.8 mm wall thickness, significant discrepancies were observed in the predicted strain values across the software packages, ranging from 1541 to 2078 microstrain. These variations highlight the considerable impact of software selection on strain prediction accuracy and underscore the necessity of experimental validation when designing load cells for FBG sensor applications. The findings emphasize that relying solely on FEA for strain prediction can introduce substantial uncertainty, potentially affecting the performance and reliability of FBG sensor measurements.