1507. The Bonded Strain Gage Load Cell

Paper

Abstract

The intent of this paper is to be an information and practice application note dealing with Bonded
Strain Gage load cells and their use in Precision Mass and Force Measurement.
It is not intended to be the definitive work on Electronic Mass and Force Measurement, it is intended
to be a guide to better understanding and communication, thereby increasing the probability of a
successful application design.
The readership to whom this is directed covers the range from the person who has no knowledge of electronic
weighing to the person who is the department Instrumentation Specialist. The reader is encouraged to
‘understand what he-she knows’ and practice the truism that ‘the only dumb question is the one you DON’T
ask’.
The definitions and design discussions are based on years of experience in working with the demanding
requirements of mass measurement for space vehicles, and force measurement and control in industry.
The Bibliography lists reference material that can be considered an informal Post Graduate course in
Gravimetry. Its principal value is to provide the reader with an understanding of the subject so that
meaningful questions can be asked and incomplete or misleading answers questioned. Also included is
reference material of significant value to both the person designing a precision weighing procedure and
the person reducing the weighing procedure data.
The reader is encouraged to not accept information until there is full understanding of what is being
said and not said, specsmanship is to be questioned.