Know more about Strain Gauge Load Cell

According to the scientific definition, a load cell is an electronic device (a kind of transducer) that is primarily used to covert a force into an electric signal. Let’s take it simple. A load cell is simply a transducer which converts force into a measurable electrical output.

 How a strain gauge load cell works? The manner in which the mechanical force gets converted into an electrical current is indirect and happens in two phases. A load cell can consist of one, two or four strain gauges depending on the type of cell, and it is the strain gauge that converts the force into the electrical current. Many people think that all load cells make the use of strain gauges but this is not true. There are different types of load cells such as hydraulic, pneumatic, fibre optic, button and washer load cells.

There could be many applications of the resulted electrical output. Well before the electrical current becomes usable the electric signal output typically requires amplification by an instrumentation amplifier and then it can be used. Strain gauge load cell is majorly used as a weighing apparatus. This is the reason why strain gauge load cell is widely used in carrying out various industrial weighing applications.There are many applications where load cells are being used such as electronic crane scales, determining the centre of gravity of an object by weight, force measurement, force gauge, onboard weighing, railcar weighing, structural health monitoring, and tension measurement.With the advancement in technologies, there are many new types of load cells available that are better used in certain applications and circumstance that others for example the new compression load cell is used for applications to tough environments. The new beam load cell is found to be perfect for belt scales, platform scales, filling machines, and process equipment. The single point load cell is typically used in applications such as multi-head weighers, check weighers, filling machines, belt scales, platform scales, and bench scales. The selection of a particular type of strain gauge load cell depends on your application requirements and the type of weighing you are doing.Before the introduction of load cells, mechanical level scales were used. Mechanical level scales were effective only if they are precisely calibrated and maintained properly. The concept of mechanical level scale is to either use of a weight balancing system or the detection of the force developed by mechanical levers.

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