A method for inertia tensors and centres of masses identification on symmetric precessions

A knowledge of the inertia tensors and centre of gravity locations of rigid bodies and rigid mechanical systems is required in precise control of motion and in many other applications whenever the dynamics of them is significantly determined by these inertia parameters. This paper presents a new method for identifying the inertia tensor and coordinates of the centre of mass of a rigid body or of a rigid mechanical system. The proposed method is based on the work-energy principle and provides high accuracy of identification even on devices with essential dissipation. The tensor and centre of gravity location are defined on a single spherical motion — symmetric precession. The paper gives a survey of existing inertia parameter identification methods, the theoretical fundamentals of the proposed identification method, the hybrid identification device and data processing procedure with error estimation on dissipative systems using proposed and classical methods.