Force transducer with environmental protection

A force transducer comprising:

• a housing having front and rear portions joined together by a longitudinally extending platform, said platform being compliant and substantially thin compared to said front and rear portions, wherein said front portion of said housing includes an input member for coupling an actuator device that applies longitudinal pushing and pulling forces to said front portion of the housing, said front portion of said housing transmitting the longitudinal pushing and pulling forces to said longitudinally extending platform, the pushing forces longitudinally compressing all of said platform and the pulling forces longitudinally expanding all of said platform;
• a plurality of piezoresistive strain gauges arranged in a Wheatstone bridge configuration and mounted on said platform, said strain gauges being operative to provide an output according to an extent of compression or expansion and therefore of a magnitude of said applied force;
• a compliant, tubular, bellow shaped shroud fabricated from stainless steel and welded at one end to said housing front portion and at said other end to said housing rear portion and positioned and secured to surround and enclose said strain gauges to thereby protect said strain gauges from a surrounding environment, said shroud expanding and contracting compliantly and substantially along its longitudinal direction with said applied force, to thereby enable said strain gauges to respond to said force substantially unimpeded by such shroud.