Pancake Load Cell
The popular “pancake” style load cell, as shown in figure below, is configured to operate in shear, offering a very low profile in a
design that is easily environmentally sealed and is largely insensitive to off-axis loads. Generally, pancake style shear web load cells are
available in the 1,000 lbf and higher load ranges.
pancake-load-cell
Thepancake style load cell also easily accommodates dual electrically -separate strain bridges for high reliability applications. The high stiffness “tension”-base serves to allow the measurement of tensile forces, acts to stiffen the load cell structure in compression and to allow the incorporation of overrange limiting stops for compression applications.
Low profile pancake load cells are not available in the under 500 lbf force range since the shear web thickness becomes exceedingly thin and difficult to manufacture. It should be noted that the strain gage clamping fixtures for the pancake style sensor either pinch the shear webs to avoid overstressing them during manufacturing or all cylindrical gaging holes shown are filled with teflon plugs which provide clamping pressure due to volumetric expansion at elevated epoxy cure temperatures. The teflon plugs used are closely-toleranced to the diameter of the gauging holes and tend to extrude into the hole-to-hole slots reducing the clamping pressure as a function of he number of cure cycles they have been exposed to.
pancake-load-cell