Materials Testers Using Micro-Newton Level Forces Based on the Levitation Mass Method (LMM)

The first author has proposed a method, the "levitation mass method" (LMM), as a precision mechanical measurements method. In this method, the inertial force of a mass levitated using an aerostatic linear bearing is used as the reference force applied to the objects being tested, such as force transducers, materials and structures. The present status and the possible applications of the LMM in the field of material testing with very small forces are reviewed.