Load cells feel the force of windscreen washers
A
Sensor Techniques product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team
Oct 24, 2006
A novel load cell assembly plays a small yet vital role in special windscreen washer test rigs designed and built by Quadratec.
Monmouthshire based Quadratec is an advanced technology company involved in the design, development and manufacture of engineering products, instrumentation, machines and test equipment.
The washer rigs are designed so that manufacturers can align and pressure test their washer jet arrangements prior to supply to the vehicle manufacturers.
This pre-installation quality check saves valuable time on the assembly line and ensures batches are not rejected because of a small number of failed products.
Sensor Techniques has a long standing working relationship with Quadratec and has become accustomed to providing innovative solutions.
The equipment supplied for each rig comprises a fully weld-sealed stainless steel beam load cell, mounting assembly and LAC-74 analogue amplifier.
Units are calibrated prior to installation and then finally adjusted in situ.
The LAC-74, which has excellent linearity and temperature stability over a range from -10 to +40C, is ideally suited for such low operating range applications.
During the test, which takes only a matter of seconds, the washers are clipped into a holder in the rig and then actuated via a foot operated switch.
When correctly aligned, the water jets should pass through a small round hole in a plate located at a predetermined distance from the jets.
After the water has passed through the hole it impacts on the vertical stainless steel plate attached to the load cell, itself mounted in the vertical plane.
The actual force to be measured is less than 0.1N and the low level signal from the load cell is amplified and transmitted as a standard 0-10V signal to the PLC controlling the rig.
If the measured force is too low the unit is rejected.
As Quadratec's Managing Director Mark Thatcher concludes: "This application posed two tricky problems for Sensor Techniques".
"Not only are the forces involved very low, but the environment is particularly hostile with high levels of humidity and water".
"Most low capacity force transducers are not fully sealed so they had to provide special products that met both challenges".
"The load cells have a capacity of only 25N yet are fully weld sealed".
"Throughout the design and development of the equipment Sensor Techniques have provided excellent support and advice".
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