LoadCells

Aload cellis a sensor that detects force.

It converts force into measurable electrical
output, so it is also known as load
transducer.
Load cells exist to sense forces that range
from a fraction ofa newton to hundreds of
thousands of newtons.
. Load cells are comprised generally of a
rigid outer structure, some medium that is
used for measuring the applied force, and
the measuring gage

Applications
> Load cells are used for sensing large, static, or slowly varying forces with little deflection and are a
relatively accurate means of sensing forces. Typical accuracies are of the order of 0.1% of the full
scale readings
Domestic Applications
>Weighing machines, Kitchen scales, bathroom scales etc.
Industrial Applications
> Geotechnical devices, belt scales, hopper scales, and onboard weighing machines
º Medical equipment - Research Laboratory and Pharmaceutical Production
> Transportation - truck and railroad car scales
Building and Construction - used to test building materials, such as beams, for tension and structural
strength
>Food Processing - measure ingredients and proper distribution of products during packaging
ºIndustrial Warehousing- determine the precise weight of aloaded pallet, which is crucial for filling and
accepting orders

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 Types of load cells

Load cells can be categorized by shape, application and working principle.

>Hydraulic loadcells
> Pneumatic load cells
>Capacitance load cells
> Piezoelectric Transducers
> Strain gauge load cells etc.
Among allthe load cells, strain gauge-based load cells are most commonly used.

Hydraulic loadcells
" Force-balance principle: Converts load to hydraulic pressure.
Load Ptatform
" Load applied to load platform connected to a piston. Pressure Gauge
" Piston in closed chamber filled with fluid.

" Piston's action on diaphragm increases fluid pressure.

" Change in pressure proportional to applied force. Pston

" Pressure readable through attached bourdon tube pressure gauge.

Output is linear, unaffected by fluid amount or temperature.
Applications:tank, bin, and hopper weighing.

Advantages
" Can measure up to 5MN and have an accuracy of about 0.25 to 1.0 percent of full-scale.
" Ideal for use in hazardous areas as it has noelectrical components.
Disadvantages
" More expensive than other types, making them cost-prohibitive for certain applications
" Because these load cells are sensitive to ambient pressure, the user must reset the readout to zero before each use.

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 Pneumatic load cells
Pneumatic load cell principle involves a connected diaphragm or piston.
Applied force compresses air, increasing air pressure.
Pressure change is proportional to the force applied. FressW

Measurement uses pressure gauge or transducer.

Two main types: diaphragm-based and piston-based.
Diaphragm-based: Force deflects diaphragm, changing air chamber volume.
Results in proportional change in air pressure. Supty
" Piston-based: Piston linked to load, applied force moves piston.
Air compression increases pressure proportionally to load.

Advantages
often used to measure relatively small weights in industries where cleanliness and safety are of prime concern.
Inherently explosion proof and insensitive to temperature variations.
Additionally, they contain no fluids that might contaminate the process if the diaphragm ruptures.
Disadvantages
relatively slow speed of response and the need for clean, dry, regulated air or nitrogen

Capacitive Load Cells

Capacitive
Seasor
> Capacitive load cells work by storing a charge in a material/system. They have parallel fied End

plates with a gap. Elctácal Sicnl

> Electric current is applied to create stable positive and negative charges on the plates.
> Applying a load narrows the gap, storing a charge (capacitance). Thischarge becomes
the output, translated into a load measurement.

Advantages:
High sensitivity and accuracy across a wide force range.
VSimple design, cost-effective compared to other load cell types.
Hermetically sealed, suitable for hygienic applications in food and medical weighing.
" Disadvantages:

V Not ideal for flammable environments due to their use of electric charge.
Temperature-sensitive dielectric materials can impact load cell accuracy.

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 Piezoelectric Transducers
Operate based on the piezoelectric effect
Piezoclectriceffect in materials like quartz crystal and ceramics
Produces piezoclectricity when stressed or deformed
Stress shifts orientationof internal dipoles in material
" Like di-clectricity, where charge develops from electron shift in insulator
" Measures force, pressure, and displacement
Metallic electrodes on material's surface create measurable net charge
Proper design needselectrodes perpendicular to applied force
Both compression and tension forces generate piezoelectric effect
Electrical
Compression = opposite polarity to tension Piezoelectric Dutput
Element
Output voltage proportional to applied force
Advantages
" No need for external power source to generate output signal
Suitable for applications where external power is inconvenient
Output signal requires amplification due to small size Bsse

High durability compared to other load cells

Excellent high frequency response
Disadvantages
" High-temperature sensitive, not suitable for static conditions, some crystals are water soluble and dissolve in high
humid environment.

Strain-gage load cells

Strain-gage load cell components:
Elastic structure for deformation under force
Strain-gage network (Wheatstone's bridge) for electric signal
Gauges bonded onto deformable beam/structural member under weight
Typically, four strain gauges used for max sensitivity and temp. compensation
Two in tension, two in compression Botm Bot m
Balanced condition:
No lo¡d, al gauges have equal resistance (Wheatstone's bridge balanced)
FORCT
BridgeRI-R
Sensors
Unbalanced condition:
Applied weight causes strain, changing gauge resistance
Wheatstone's bridge becomes unbalanced
Output voltage:
Proportional to applied load

Unlike hydraulic/pncumaticdesigns:
Operates via changes in clectrical resistance

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 Strain-gage load cells
Advantages
Small and compact in size
" Good accuracy
" Good sensitivity and low hysteresis
" Less expensive
Disadvantages
" Its performance is affected by non-axial force
" It requires temperature compensation network
Excessive stress or force may damage load cellpermanently.

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Strain-gage load cells: Types

Beam-Type Load Cell
Commonly employed for measuring low-level loads. A simple
cantilever beam with four strain gages, twoon the top surface Axial gages
and two on the bottom surface (all oriented along the axis of l3nd 3
the beam), is used as the elastic member (sensor) for the load
Axial gages
cell. The gages are wired into a Wheatstone bridge as shown in 2 and 4 on the
botten surface
Figure (b).
(a)
" The range and sensitivity of abeam-type load cell depends on
the shape of the cross section of the beam, the location of the
point of application of the load, and the fatigue strength of the
material from which the beam is fabricated.

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 Strain-gage load cells: Types
Ring-Type Load Cell
incorporate a proving ring as the elastic element.
. it can be designed to cover a very wide range of loads by
varying the diameter D, the thickness t, or the depth wof the D2
=R
ring. Gage 2 Gage 3
ínside
outside
The range of a ring-type load cell is controlled by the
strength of the material used in fabricating the ring.

{a)

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Strain-gage load cells: Types

Button load cell
Button
" It is a compact strain gauge-based sensor with a spherical radius Connector
that is often used in weighing applications. Body
It is a miniature load cell which is typically used when space is
limited.

Advantages
" Suitable for applications where there is minimal room to perform a FasteneS
test.
Body Connector
Disadvantages
"Button"
" High sensitivity to off-axis or side loading. The load cell will
produce high errors from any misalignment. A0.1% misalignment
can produce a large cosine error. Some have errors anywhere from (b)
1% - 10 % of rated output.
" Do not repeat well in the rotation.

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 Strain-gage load cells: Types
Compression load cells
Measures pushing or squashing forces and are typically installed
underneath what is to be measured or weighed
these are unidirectional, only designed to measure the downward
compression

Tension load cells

Measures pulling or tensile.

Mostly have bidirectional sensitivity i.e. it can measure
compression too.

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References:
Fraden. J. and King, J.G.. 2010. Handbook of modern sensors: physics, designs, and applications (Vol. 3). New York: springer.
https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k-12/airplane/tunwheat. html

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