PreDiCon Ltd

330 Lytham Road, Suite 8,

Blackpool FY4 D!
The Case History Doctor
PREDICON ENGINEERING STAFF
Vibration influence on a load cell
!e "ere called in to in#e$ti%ate a pro&lem that a client o' our$ "a$ ha#in% "ith a load cell on a copper
$melter near (uc$on )*+ (he pro&lem "a$ #ariation$ in the poured "ei%ht o' the copper and the en%ineer
in char%e had a $u$picion that en#ironmental #i&ration could &e playin% a role+
The investigation
(he picture &elo" $ho"$ the layout o' the $melter+
(here i$ a load cell under each $poon "hich accurately
mea$ure$ the "ei%ht o' the copper durin% the pour proce$$
$o that the 'ini$hed product i$ at an e,act "ei%ht+
-ariation$ in the "ei%ht appeared to occur randomly $o
our en%ineer $et out to determine any cau$al link &et"een
#i&ration and load cell output+
)ccelerometer$ "ere placed #ertically at each o' the load
cell$ in the #ertical direction and a lon% time trace "a$
recorded+ (he time trace $ho"ed that there "a$ indeed
recorda&le #i&ration at the load cell+ (he $urpri$e "a$
that thi$ #i&ration "a$ cau$ed not only &y the pour
proce$$ &ut al$o &y e,terior in'luence$ $uch a$ the
mo#ement o' the o#erhead crane$ and e#en the operation
o' the 'ork.li't truck$+
(he time trace &elo" $ho"$ the 'ilter.out #i&ration o#er
one 'ull operatin% cycle+
(he ne,t $ta%e "a$ to identi'y the #i&ration
$ource+ )n FF( $pectrum o' the 'loor
$ho"ed a dominant 're/uency at a&out 0 12+
(hi$ "a$ $ho"n to &e the natural 're/uency
o' the 'loor and "a$ e,cited &y all o' the
e,ternal 'orce$ named a&o#e+
But ho" "a$ thi$ a''ectin% the load cell
output3 (he $pectrum analy2er "a$ then
connected to the #olta%e output o' the load
cell+ 4ntere$tin%ly, the load cell output al$o
$ho"ed a 're/uency at a&out 0 12+
4t "a$ no" o&#iou$ that the #i&ration in the
'loor "a$ directly a''ectin% the load cell
output+ (he intermittent nature o' the
pro&lem "a$ due to the random impactin%
'rom e,ternal in'luence$ and the 'act that the
controller $ample$ t"ice durin% each proce$$
pour+
The Answer
(he an$"er "a$ to 'ir$t put a notch 'ilter in
the load cell output to remo#e the pro&lem
're/uency and $econdly to in$tall #i&ration
i$olator$ under the load cell 'eet+ (he lon%
term $olution, o' cour$e, i$ to %rout under the
'loor to remo#e the #i&ration completely+ 5ur client i$ no" implementin% the $olution$+
Figure 1 Molten copper into ladel,
spoon, mould