Electrical weighing

While measurements of weight can usually be made with accuracy using conventional apparatus, difficulty is experienced on moving vehicles, in enclosed or remote positions, or where the object to be weighed forms part of a working system. For such circumstances an electrical weighing apparatus has been developed comprising one or more small elements, having negligible deflection under load, from which a small voltage can be obtained proportional to the weight supported, together with an electronic voltage indicator. Weighing elements giving outputs of 0.1¿0.3 volt are described, and their design limits and maximum sensitivity are considered. The outputs of a number of such elements can be summed, any desired amount of the weight supported can be ¿counterbalanced out¿, and the effects of parasitic motion of a vehicle can be eliminated, by electrical means. The principle has also been applied to the measurement of pressure. As an illustration, the determination of the weight of unburnt fuel on the grate of a steam locomotive in service is described.