Innovation on Accessible and Low Cost Deflection Measurement Devices

Abstract

Deflection occurs mostly in structures, especially those that accept lateral loads. Excessive deflection can cause damage, especially in the supporting structure therefore deflection must be measured but the deflection measurement device is still expensive so the application is limited. Modification of the deflection measurement device can be done using an optical mouse. The ability of optical mouse is expressed in the ability to scan the number of points in each area, the bigger the smaller the displacement that can be measured. we use a cheap mouse and the results show the mouse is able to measure deflection to accuracy of about 0.04 mm. Optical mouse is cheap so it is expected to use it more widely, except for practitioners and universities, it is hoped that it can also be used in vocational schools where the needs are large but the budget are limited.