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( 1974) 19, 365-369

A Tractor Rear Wheel Torque Meter

G. ANDERSON*; E. ROWE* ; H. SPENCER*

A description is given of a torque meter suitable for use in measuring applied wheel torques.
The meter has no moving parts and utilizes conventional strain gauge techniques. Details of
interaction effects are given with the calibrations together with a discussion of the hysteresis
present and design features necessary for its minimization.

1. Introduction
This paper describes the construction, instrumentation and calibration of a torque transducer
suitable for use in studies requiring a knowledge of the torque applied to driven wheels of a
tractor, e.g. weight transfer studies.
To date a torque transducer built for this purpose has been described by Buchele and Berlage.’
Its design is similar to that of a p.t.o. drive torque meter described by Mahmoud, Buchele and
Andrew.* Results of exhaustive calibrations of these instruments have so far not been published.
It would appear from their construction that they are sensitive to side loads and likely to evidence
mechanical hysteresis due to the ball and seat arrangement.
The requirements of a driven wheel torque transducer for use in agricultural studies are:
(a) installation with minimum disturbance to tractor construction;
(b) negligible vertical and side load interactions;
(cl ready interchangeability among tractors ; and
(d) low hysteresis and good linearity.

2. Design considerations
It was decided that a transducer that could be fitted between the driven wheel mounting, which
is usually the brake drum, and the wheel itself would meet the stated requirements. The trans-
ducer had to be as thin as possible so as to interfere as little as possible with the original range of
wheel track positions. It was decided that signals from the revolving torque meter should be
transmitted to a stationary receiver by using frequency modulated inductive coupling. thus
avoiding problems involved in the use of slip rings and brushes.’

2.1. Mechanical design

The basic mechanical construction can be seen from Fig. I. The torque sensing elements, one
of which can be clearly seen in Fig. 1, are in actual fact force sensors. The force sensing element
of the transducer is essentially a parallelogram flexure arrangement with a central beam that
distorts into an “S” shape on being axially loaded. This arrangement ensures sensitivity to axial
loads only.
The centre beam of an element is strain gauged with a 4-arm active bridge to sense its “S”-
shaped bending under load. It is important to minimize hysteresis and non-linear effects, there-
fore a force sensing element should be isolated as much as possible from surrounding structures.
In the torque transducer this is done by clamping packing washers between the elements and the
supporting plates. This effectively mounts the elements on “islands”.
Sensitivity to torque only is achieved by arranging four force sensing elements circumfer-
entially at 90” apart and adjusting the sensitivities of each strain gauge bridge to identical levels
by means of signal conditioning units.
* N.I.A.E. Scottish Station, Penicuik, Midlothian, Scotland
365
366 A TRACTOR REAR WHEEL TORQUE METER

Fig. 1. General arrangement of toyue meter mounted on tractor brake drum, showing receiving aerial (wheel omitted
for clarity)

The present torque transducer has been stressed for tractors of maximum weight 2300 kg.
and a maximum torque of 8150 Nm. The force sensing elements are manufactured from EN24
steel heat treated to give a minimum yield stress of 700 MN/m2.

2.2. Electronic sJwtetndesign

A separate variable gain amplifier for each force sensing element was chosen as a means of
giving equal sensitivities to each of the strain gauge bridges. These four equal signals are summed
into a further amplifier, shown in Fig. 2, which adjusts the signal to suit the following voltage to
frequency convertor.
This circuit brings the signal into the standard recording format used at the Station, i.e. a pulse
repetition rate that is directly proportional to the analogue signal. The pulses then modulate a
500 KHz oscillator whose inductive component is close coupled to a receiver coil, as shown in
Fig. I. The receiver reconstitutes the signal ready for recording.

Strain gauge
hridges

Fig. 2. Block diagram of electronic circuit

( AP.L>I:RSON; L.. ROWE: li. SPENCER 36‘

To ,uit the available space and to facilitate the setting up procedure the circuits are \ubdividcd
in the following manner.
(a) Tuo cards each with a pair of bridge amplifiers. This arrangement has the additional
benefit of requiring only short lengths of low signal wiring.
(b) Summing amplifier and voltage to frequency convertor. This is virtually a standard signal
conditioning unit as used on the Station with only minor modifications.
(c) Oscillator card. It is an advantage to have this well clear of low signal circuits.
(d) Battery container. This includes battery protection and stabilizations circuits.
(e) Receiver coil and circuitry. The coil is mounted axially with the oscillator coil and the
receiver circuit is mounted on the same board. The whole unit is easily removable when
not in use. The oscillator coil is mounted integral with item (d) as shown in Fig. 1. It is
readily removable to allow the tractor wheel and the torque transducer to be changed.
The amplifiers used have high open loop gain and are in fact used at a gain of nominally 15.
They are therefore inherently stable as regards gain and, with such low gain, drift is not a problem.
The dominating factor is temperature and the overall zero drift is within 0.5OA per C. The
linearity of the voltage to frequency convertor is within 1 “A.
The nature of operation of the oscillator and receiver circuits introduce no further appreciable
distortion to the signal.

TABLE 1

Results of calibrations

Applied torque Hysteresis error Calibration constant

(Nm) (%) (mv/Nm)

3470 * I.17 0.241

2980 i I.06 0.237
2300 10.94 0.240
1690 kO.61 0.240
II.50 kO.59 0.234
515 +0,52 / 0.242

Mean calibration constant = 0.239 mv/Nm

3. Calibration and set-up of torque meter

Observations made when calibrating the torque meter are plotted in Fig. 3. The meter was first
assembled on a rear wheel of a tractor. The meter output was then observed for nominal zero
torque input at various rotational positions of the wheel. Observations shown in Fig. 3(c)
indicate a cyclic output due to differing sensitivities of the force sensing elements, inclusive of
amplifiers. These amplifiers were adjusted to minimize the cyclic effect with results also shown
in Fig. 3(c) which indicate, in addition, the transducer’s insensitivity to vertical loads. This is
evidenced by the mean values of the fully loaded, i.e. wheel on ground and “jacked up wheel”,
i.e. wheel in air curves. These correspond to a vertical load change of 500 kg, and being nearly the
same, it is concluded that vertical load interactions are negligible.
Side load interactions were assessed by applying known side forces through the tyre contact
patch with the wheel resting on an air bearing support pad for this purpose. For this measurement
no torque was applied to the transducer. Results from this test are shown in Fig. 3(b).
The torque calibration of the transducer was then carried out statically using a simple lever arm
bolted to the transducer which was mounted on the brake drum of a tractor. It should be noted
that the zeros on a calibration curve are arbitrary; at the final recording stage facilities are avail-
able for backing off these voltages to give a true zero for zero torque.
368 A TRACTOR REAR WHEEL TORQUE ML-I-ER

900
(a)
000 -

700 - .J”
/
.A(
600 - .P
.F
500 - .F
/ .P - Least squares approxlmatlon
400 - ./’ * Loading
P . Unloading
300 - ./:
.AX
/x
200 -,XP

100 -

I I I I I I I J
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500
Applied torque (Nm)
600
z (b)
6 500-

Output level for a torque of 1000 Nm

4001-
300

200

100
.-=--.-.-.-.-.- .-._. -._._*_*_*
I
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 1800 2000
Side force (NJ

I I I I I I I I I I I I I 1
0 30 60 90 120 150 I80 210 240 270 300 330 360 390
Wheel posItIon (degl

Fig. 3. Calibration results. (a) Typical calibration curve; maximum applied torque 2980 Nm: (b) effect of side load on
torque meter output: (c) effect of wheel rotationalposition on torque meter output

4. Hysteresis
The torque transducer was calibrated by applying various maximum torque levels shown in
Table I and output readings were noted during unloading and loading to determine the hysteresis
effect. A least squares fit of the calibration results was used to obtain the calibration constant.
Fig. 3(a) shows, by way of example, the observations obtained by application of torque up to a
maximum value of 2980 Nm and superimposed is the calibration line derived by a least squares
fit. The hysteresis error is the maximum horizontal deviation of an observation from the calibra-
tion line obtained expressed as a percentage of maximum applied torque. Table I shows the
hysteresis error is related to the maximum applied torque.
( A’.DtKSON: t,. ROWE; H. SPENCER .:t,o

5. Conclusions
Phc hysteresis performance of the torque meter appears to be the only troublesome aspect of the
design. The origin of this is thought to be the bolted assembly of the sensing elements. Each
element is bolted, as shown in Fig. I to the outer and inner plates of the torque transducer.
Torque transmission results in a point on the perimeter of one plate being displaced rotationally
with respect to a corresponding point on the other. The surfaces of an element are therefore not
only displaced relative to each other, but are no longer aligned when viewed in a direction along
the axle. The minute rotational movement between bolts and element associated with difference
in alignment is a likely source of small frictional hysteresis.
Avoidance of bolted joints can be achieved by using an all welded construction and other
arrangements of force sensing transducers are feasible which avoid the rotational deformation
mode occurring at bolted joints.
The authors of References (l), (2) and (3), whilst showing limits of accuracy, make no attempt
to describe the origins of error. It is not therefore possible to assess whether the hysteresis of the
present design is worse or better than that associated with other design concepts. However the
overall performance of the meter described appears to compare very favourable with that of any
of the alternative designs” *. 3 examined.

REFERENCES

’ Buchele, W. F.; Berlage, A. G. A compression ring strain gauge torque meter. ASAE Paper No. 66.-
308, 1966
’ Mahmoud, A. R.; Buchele, W. F.; Andrew, J. F. A strain gauge, brushless torque meter. J. agric. Engng
Res., 1972 17 231
’ Carlow, C. A.; Blight, D. P. A remote indicating and recording torque meter. J. agric. Engng Res., 1966
II (4) 299