| | | The so-called load washer is a sensor configuration with a high practical benefit. Two slightly preloaded quartz discs are installed between the base and the steel cover. The two housing parts are welded together to make them airtight. The measuring signal is received by an electrode, which is located in between the two quartz discs, and transmitted to a connector. Load washers are sturdy and highly versatile in application. Due to their center hole, they are suitable for force measurement in threaded connections. They are easily integrated into various structures in a variety of different configurations and can be preloaded by means of an expansion bolt. When mounted, the preloading screw forms a shunt connection between the base and cover plates. This means that part of the force to be measured also flows through the screw and is not measured by the sensor. Precise determination of the sensitivity of the mounted washer requires on-site calibration. | | Preloaded between two special nuts, the washer forms a so called force link. The preloaded sensor is ideal for measuring compression and tensile forces e.g. in rod assemblies. Preloaded sensors, which are available already mounted and calibrated, are easily installed and can be used immediately. Sensors for measuring smaller forces have an essentially different design. Slender quartz rods are mounted under preload between the force-introducing parts. Compared with the quartz discs used in load washers, the piezoelectric effect in these slender quartz rods delivers a thirty times higher sensitivity. | | |