International Session (Emerging Technology in Civil Engineering)

[CS2-11] Pyramid segmentation for load measurement based on electric contact theory

〇LU ZIRUI¹, Thirapong Pipatpongsa¹, Yosuke Higo¹, Kenichi Kawano², Norihisa Sugahara³ (1.Kyoto University, 2.Kajima Corporation, 3.Sakata Denki Co., Ltd.)

Keywords:load measurement, electric contact theory, contact mechanics, electrical resistance, memristor

Soil pressure is important for design and construction in underground excavations. The prevalent pressure gauges are costly and fragile. Also, the inclination and deflection of pressure gauge can induce errors. A new concept of soil pressure gauge based on the contact theory was developed. As the contact area and indentation of metal balls are proportional to the compression load while the electrical resistance of metal depends on its length and cross-sectional area, the electrical resistance of metal balls is related to the load. The stainless steel balls were adopted in this study owing to their low resistivity and favorable elastic property.