Industrial force sensors | Which sensor technologies are there for force measurement?
Published: 23 September, 2019
Where is force measured? Why is force measured? With which measuring instruments can one measure force? In our blog (https://bit.ly/2ymwgVM) and this video you will find some answers. For monitoring processes and operations, for controlling or transporting loads, force is measured in many applications, such as port logistics, cranes, machine building or geotechnical engineering. Force measurement is especially important for the protection of people and machinery, and it also contributes to quality assurance. Force can be measured using various technologies. Depending on the application, thin-film sensors, strain gauges or hydraulic force transducers are used. Force measurement with thin-film sensors Here, the force acting is measured by thin-film resistors, which are sensitive to strain. The atomic welding of the thin-film sensor to the deformation body has a particularly high long-term stability. For special safety requirements, redundant force transducers with two measuring bridges and a thin-film sensor can be realised. The force is measured by the changed electrical resistance of the thin-film sensor. The resistance changes as soon as the deformation body deforms. The electrical resistance is then converted by the sensor into a standardised output signal and can thus be processed and recorded. Force measurement with strain gauges The strain gauge works on the principle of the thin-film sensor. Strain gauges can be precisely attached to the smallest surfaces. Force transducers with strain gauges are particularly flexible since they can be manufactured from a variety of materials and in a wide variety of shapes. Force measurement with hydraulic force transducers The measuring body of a hydraulic force transducer contains a liquid which can immediately transmit the force acting to an analogue or digital display. Special features of hydraulic force transducers are their longevity, robustness and independent operation without any power supply. In the WIKA blog, you will find interesting posts about force measurement: https://bit.ly/2GD55KR Force transducers from WIKA are based on these three sensor technologies and are characterised by their flexibility depending on the application, design or measuring range. Here you can find our solutions: https://bit.ly/2Oro811 Here you can download our brochure “Force measurement is a matter of trust”: https://bit.ly/2KhsVwu
