Inventors:
Stuart E. Schechter - Waltham MA
Antonio R. Leyenaar - Lexington MA
Assignee:
The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air
Force - Washington DC
International Classification:
G01M 112
Abstract:
A system is provided for determining the center of gravity of a body by providing a balance arm supported from a single pivot point, then positioning the body on the balance arm and measuring the rotation of the balance arm in two orthogonal planes. A disturbance weight is then added to the system at a known position, and the angle of rotation in the two planes is again measured. Using the known weights of the body and the disturbance weight, and the known distance of the disturbance weight from the pivot, and the measured angles, the precise location of the center of gravity of the body is determined by basic statics and standard trigonometry.