Background
Accurate force measurement is fundamental to validating designs and optimising components for performance and weight. With more than 25 years of experience delivering high‑accuracy load cells for the harshest motorsport, off‑highway and defence environments, our team has developed a reputation for rapid development, reliable hardware and robust engineering solutions.
The Challenge
During the development of a new vehicle, a customer approached us with a critical issue. They required precise force data such as wheel loads, steering torque and third‑element measurements to support chassis development and correlate with driver feedback. However, their existing supplier couldn’t manage the challenges in their application.
The location presented several constraints:
- Extreme thermal gradients across the part
- Tight packaging that restricted sensor and electronics placement
- A compressed project timeline
- A need for consistent accuracy despite rapidly changing temperatures
These conditions created large temperature differences between the strain gauge and the amplifier far beyond what typical compensation methods can manage.
Our Approach
1. Mechanical Redesign for Optimised Strain
We first refined the mechanical structure to increase strain at the gauge location without compromising part strength. This included:
- Adjusting geometry – distributing the load across two smaller elements to increase the strain seen at the gauge location
- Removing material where appropriate
- Improving surface finishes
This ensured the gauge would produce strong, consistent outputs while maintaining required stiffness and durability.
2. Addressing Severe Thermal Gradients
The more significant challenge was thermal. Under normal conditions, amplifier to gauge proximity allows integrated temperature compensation to offset temperature‑induced errors. However, the physical constraints, rapidly changing temperatures and severity of the gradient made this impossible.
To solve this, we implemented an alternative strategy typically reserved for the most demanding applications:
- A fast‑response surface temperature sensor was bonded directly at the gauge site.
- Real‑time temperature readings were fed into the compensation system.
- Temperature effects could then be corrected dynamically, based on the actual temperature of the strained material rather than the nearby electronics.
This approach effectively eliminated the mismatch between gauge and amplifier temperatures and dramatically improved measurement accuracy.
3. Timelines
In motorsport reacting quickly is often the difference between parts getting onto cars, development continuing smoothly and starting the season prepared or missing the first test and starting on the back foot. Our extensive experience allows us to engineer new parts quickly and with confidence. Our contacts and supply chain are robust and ready to deliver parts on short notice and shorter timelines.
The Outcome
By combining mechanical optimisation with innovative thermal‑compensation techniques, we delivered:
- Accurate force measurements under extreme thermal gradients
- Consistent, real‑time compensation even during rapid temperature changes
- A robust, compact sensing solution suitable for a challenging packaging environment
- A successful replacement for a discontinued component within a tight timeline
The customer gained reliable data throughout their development program, enabling better understanding of vehicle behavior and more meaningful interpretation of driver feedback.
Conclusion
This project highlights our ability to solve complex sensing problems through a mix of mechanical design, thermal management innovation and rapid, collaborative engineering.
If you have a demanding application and need a team you can rely on, please get in touch: Contact Us
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