Review of the Levitation Mass Method (LMM) - A Precision Method for Measuring Mechanical Quantities Using An Optical Interferometer

The present status and the future prospects of a method for precision force measurement, the Levitation Mass Method (LMM), are reviewed. The LMM has been proposed and improved by the authors. In the LMM, the inertial force of an inertial mass levitated using a pneumatic linear bearing is used as the reference force applied to the object under test, such as materials, structures and force sensors. The inertial force of the levitated mass is measured using an optical interferometer. Major application of the LMM, such as the material testers without use of force transducers and self-correction method for dynamic measurement error of force sensors are reviewed.