Everything about Load Cell totally explained
A
load cell is typically an electronic device (
transducer) that's used to convert a force into an electrical signal. This conversion is indirect and happens in two stages. Through a mechanical arrangement, the force being sensed deforms a
strain gauge. The strain gauge converts the deformation (
strain) to electrical signals. Normally, a load cell consists of four strain gauges in a
Wheatstone bridge configuration, but is also available with one or two strain gauges. The electrical signal output is normally in the order of a few millivolts and requires amplification by an
instrumentation amplifier before it can be used. The output of the transducer is plugged into an
algorithm to calculate the force applied to the transducer.
Although strain gauge load cells are the most common, there are other types of load cells as well. In industrial applications, hydraulic (or hydrostatic) is probably the second most common, and these are utilized to eliminate some problems with strain gauge load cell devices. As an example, a hydraulic load cell is immune to transient voltages (lightning) so might be a more effective device in outdoor environments.
Other types include
piezo-electric load cells (useful for dynamic measurements of force), and
vibrating wire load cells, which are useful in
geomechanical applications due to low amounts of
drift.
Every load cell is subject to "ringing" when subjected to abrupt load changes. This stems from the spring-like behavior of load cells. In order to measure the loads, they've to deform. As such, a load cell of finite stiffness must have spring-like behavior, exhibiting vibrations at its
natural frequency. An oscillating data pattern can be the result of ringing. Ringing can be suppressed in a limited fashion by passive means. Alternatively, a
control system can use an
actuator to actively damp out the ringing of a load cell. This method offers better performance at a cost of significant increase in complexity.
Load cell types
- double ended shear beam
- single ended shear beam
- single column
- multi column
- membrane
- torsion ring
- bending ring
- pancake
- "S" cell
Applications
Closed Loop Technology with Load Cells
electronic crane scales
finding the center of gravity of an object by weight
force measurement
hopper, tank and vessel weighing
onboard weighing
railcar weighing
structural health monitoring
tension measurement
truck weighing
wireless crane scalesFurther Information
Get more info on 'Load Cell'.
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