Robot-aided fN∙m torque sensing within an ultrawide dynamic range

Abstract

Sensors: measuring torque A microelectromechanical resonant sensor is proposed for small-scale torsion tests and demonstrated for the testing of silicon microbeams. It is important to understand the mechanical properties of small-scale materials used in MEMS and NEMS. Various systems have been reported for this under a range of loading conditions, but the application of torque to small-scale samples is particularly hard to measure. Here, a joint team led by Xueyong Wei from Xi’an Jiaotong University and Yajing Shen from City University of Hong Kong reports a MEMS-based resonator sensor that can measure bending and torsion over a wide dynamic range with a high force resolution. They demonstrate their system for the testing of silicon microbeams, which are found to be five times stronger than bulk silicon under pure torsion.