System and method for measuring stress at an interface

A system for measuring a stress at an interface, the system comprising:

• a first body;
• a second body mated to the first body at the interface;
• a stress sensor situated at the interface, the stress sensor comprising:
• a sensor body comprising a first wall coupled to the first body and a second wall coupled to the second body, the first wall and second wall each having a respective portion opposing one another, the opposing portion of the first wall and the opposing portion of the second wall extending parallel to a central x-axis and spaced apart from one another along a y-axis that is perpendicular to the central x-axis, the central x-axis extending parallel to and equidistant from the opposing portions of the first and second walls, wherein the sensor body is resiliently deformable in response to a physical stress having a shear component and optionally a normal component for permitting movement of the first wall relative to the second wall along a direction parallel to the central x-axis in response to the shear component of the physical stress and for permitting movement of the first wall relative to the second wall along a direction parallel to the y-axis in response to the optional normal component of the physical stress;
• a sensing device comprising first and second sensor elements each extending between the opposing portions of the first and second walls for outputting sensor measurement signals representative of the physical stress and from which the shear component is determined substantially exclusive of the normal component, the first sensor element having a first longitudinal axis intersecting the central x-axis at a first oblique angle α and the second sensor element having a second longitudinal axis intersecting the central x-axis at a second oblique angle −α;
• and
• a sensor measurement signal output device for outputting the sensor measurement signals from the sensing device;
• and
• a data-receiving device operatively coupled to the sensor measurement signal output device for receiving the sensor measurement signals and determining the shear component of the physical stress substantially exclusive of the optional normal component of the physical stress.

A method for measuring shear stress at an interface between first and second mated bodies, the method comprising:

• disposing a stress sensor at the interface between the first and second mated bodies, the stress sensor comprising:
• a sensor body comprising a first wall coupled to the first mated body and a second wall coupled to the second mated body, the first wall and second wall each having a respective portion opposing one another, the opposing portion of the first wall and the opposing portion of the second wall extending parallel to a central x-axis and spaced apart from one another along a y-axis that is perpendicular to the central x-axis, the central x-axis extending parallel to and equidistant from the opposing portions of the first and second walls, wherein the sensor body is resiliently deformable in response to a physical stress having a shear component and optionally a normal response for permitting movement of the first wall relative to the second wall along a direction parallel to the central x-axis in response to the shear component and for permitting movement of the first wall relative to the second wall along a direction parallel to the y-axis in response to the optional normal component;
• a sensing device comprising first and second strain gauges each having opposite ends respectively connected to the opposing portions of the first and second walls to extend the first and second strain gauges between the first and second walls, the first strain gauge intersecting the central x-axis at a first oblique angle α and the second strain gauge intersecting the central x-axis by a second oblique angle −α;
• and
• a sensor measurement signal output device;
• and
• sensing physical stress applied to the sensor body and outputting sensor measurement signals representative of the physical stress.