Torque measurement on rotating shaft

摘要

An apparatus for the measurement of the torque of a rotating component (12) comprises two plane, reflective surfaces (10,11) arranged axially spaced apart on the circumferential surface of the component (12), and a beam splitter that directs a light beam to each of the reflective surfaces (10,11). The light beams reflected by the surfaces (10,11) on the component (12) are detected by a single sensing area of an optical receiver (5) that is connected to a computer (21). A computer (21) determines a time delay between the signals reflected by the two surfaces (10,11) and calculates the torque corresponding to the time delay. The apparatus yields a high accuracy measurement that is insensitive to translational shifts of the component such as vibrations. The accuracy of the measurement is increased by a rotational offset between the two reflective surfaces (10, 11). <IMAGE>