The influence of impact force on weighing sensors and avoidance strategies
In fields such as industrial weighing, logistics transportation, and automated production, weighing sensors serve as core measurement components — their precision and stability directly determine the operational quality of the entire system. However, the frequent impact forces encountered in practical applications often cause irreversible damage to weighing sensors, affecting the accuracy of measurement results and even shortening the device’s service life. This article will analyze in detail the specific impacts of impact forces of different magnitudes on weighing sensors, and propose scientific and effective mitigation solutions.
The core components of a weighing sensor are the elastic body and strain gauge. Its working principle is: the elastic body deforms under force, driving the strain gauge to produce resistance changes, which are then converted into weight data via signal processing. The magnitude of impact force varies, leading to significant differences in the degree of damage and manifestations of sensor impairment. Specifically, it can be divided into three ranges:
Low-range impact force typically appears as brief, minor external shocks — such as light contact when materials fall slowly, or slight vibration during equipment operation. In the short term, this type of impact force will not directly damage the sensor, but its potential impact cannot be ignored:
- On one hand, frequent low-range impacts keep the sensor’s elastic body in a state of repeated micro-deformation. Over time, this triggers the "fatigue effect" of the elastic body, causing its elastic coefficient to gradually change, leading to persistent accuracy issues. For example, a sensor with an original error of ≤±0.1% may gradually see its error rise to over ±0.5%, failing to meet high-precision weighing requirements.
- On the other hand, low-range impacts may affect the bonding stability between the strain gauge and the elastic body. Although the strain gauge will not fall off in the short term, the adhesive will gradually age under repeated shocks, reducing strain transmission efficiency. This leads to a decline in the linearity of the sensor’s output signal, resulting in "data fluctuations."
Medium-range impact force is a typical "harmful impact," commonly seen in scenarios like rapid material loading, inertial shocks during equipment start/stop, or direct placement of small-to-medium workpieces. This type of impact force directly damages the sensor’s core components:
- For the elastic body: Medium-range impact force may exceed its "safe threshold" for elastic deformation, causing local plastic deformation of the elastic base — even if the load is removed, the sensor cannot return to its original state. This leads to a fixed zero-point deviation (e.g., displaying "-2kg" when unloaded), and the error expands proportionally as the weight increases during loading.
- For the strain gauge: Medium-range impact force may cause the sensitive grid of the strain gauge to crack, or the strain gauge to detach from the elastic body. This directly results in signal interruption or abnormal output, manifesting as "zero-reset failure," "display overflow," or even complete functional failure.
- Additionally, medium-range impact force may damage the sensor’s sealing structure, allowing dust and moisture to enter the interior, accelerating corrosion of the strain gauge and circuit, and further shortening the sensor’s service life.
High-range impact force is "destructive impact," mostly occurring in extreme scenarios like accidental falling of heavy objects, equipment collisions, or overload shocks (e.g., sudden detachment of crane components, direct impact of large workpieces on the sensor). This type of impact force instantly exceeds the sensor’s maximum load capacity, leading to catastrophic, irreversible damage:
- The elastic body may fracture directly, the strain gauge may burn out completely, or the internal circuit board may crack — rendering the sensor completely scrapped and unreparable.
- At the same time, high-range impact force may trigger a chain reaction: for example, if the sensor fractures, the weighing platform loses support, leading to platform inclination or collapse, which in turn damages surrounding equipment or even causes personal injury.
- Even if some sensors do not completely fracture under high-range impact force, they will suffer irreversible severe faults (e.g., internal cracks in the elastic body, complete burnout of the strain gauge, broken signal cables). These hidden faults are covert and may cause sudden failure during subsequent use, posing significant safety risks.
To address the effects of impact forces across different ranges, we need to combine application scenarios and develop systematic mitigation solutions from three dimensions — impact prevention, impact buffering, and optimized sensor selection — to ensure stable sensor operation.
Impact prevention is the core of mitigating effects. It requires minimizing impact forces by optimizing operating procedures and equipment design:
- In industrial production (material loading scenarios): Modify "fast, direct" loading to "stepwise loading" — for example, install buffer plates or flow control valves at the outlet of the hopper above the sensor, so materials fall slowly, reducing impact forces to below the low range.
- In workpiece placement scenarios: Use automated robotic arms with force control systems; through flexible mechanical control, place workpieces on the weighing platform in a "light-touch" manner to avoid rigid impacts.
- In logistics transportation scenarios: Standardize cargo loading processes (prohibit "throwing cargo") and install "cargo positioning devices" on the weighing platform of transport vehicles to prevent cargo displacement (and additional impacts) caused by jolting.
- Additionally, strengthen operator training, clarify the rated range of weighing equipment, and prohibit overload operations — fundamentally avoiding the generation of high-range impact forces.
For unavoidable impact forces, install buffering devices to absorb energy and reduce the actual force on the sensor. Common buffering methods include three types:
- Elastic buffer elements: Install rubber pads, spring buffers, or polymer buffer blocks between the sensor and the weighing platform. These elastic components absorb impact energy, converting instantaneous impact forces into gradual forces (e.g., spring buffers on truck scales soften material loading impacts).
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