EFFECT OF DAILY THERMAL OSCILLATION ON GENERIC STRAIN GAUGE LOAD CELLS

Abstract

The objective of this research was to observe and compensate for the errors recorded in three strain gauge load cells derived from the daily thermal oscillation within a greenhouse of the Postgraduate College, Montecillo Campus. For this, three weighing instruments with a nominal capacity of 5 kg were manufactured, each with a different load cell of the same model (C1, C2 and C3). To each, a solid load of 5 kg sustained for 6 days was applied on the loading platform. The time series of temperature and error showed a direct relationship, which allowed models to be applied to compensate for the error recorded by each sensor. The models allowed the average errors to be reduced from 9.79 g, 8.40 g and 11.91 g to 1.39 g, 0.4 g and 1.13 g, respectively for each load cell. Because the signal of the load cells is affected by the daily thermal oscillation, it is necessary to determine models that compensate for the error recorded prior to the installation of instruments to despite the fact that exposure to the daily thermal oscillation is required, whose operation is automatic and continuous.