Shear beam load cells

How does a shear beam load cell work?

Shear beam load cells are used wherever pressure forces are present. The core of the shear beam load cell is the spring body. This consists of a piece of metal that deforms when force is applied and returns to its original state when the force is removed. This defined deformation is registered by a strain gauge attached to the metal and converted into an electrical signal. Shear beam load cells are calibrated in weight units (grams, kilograms or tons).

Applications of shear beam load cells

Shear beam load cells are primarily found in scales for medium load ranges up to approx. 5t. Shear beam load cells are used in belt scales, container scales, medium-range platform scales or filling systems. Shear beam load cells are also suitable for measuring torque or force in industrial systems. For platform scales, several load cells are often used, which are then connected in parallel.

Technical Details

Since shear beam load cells are mainly used in the industrial sector, they are built accordingly robustly. This is also reflected in the protection class IP 67 or IP68. The load cells are protected against the ingress of dust and against heavy splash water or even submersion. Important parameters in the data sheet of a shear beam load cell are the nominal load as well as the breaking or limit load. Also important is the minimum division value from which the permissible tare weight can be calculated. Connecting several shear beam load cells in parallel is easy to implement, since the new generation of load cells is usually output current calibrated (impedance trimmed). Adjustment is therefore no longer necessary and most load cells are also compatible with models from other manufacturers. If shear beam load cells are to be used in weighing devices that require calibration, it is important to ensure that the load cell itself is also calibrated.