Load-Measuring Pot Bearing with Built-In Load Cell —Part I: Design and Performance

Abstract

This paper presents the underlying principle and the results of various performance evaluations for a load-measuring pot bearing with built-in load cell. The pot bearing composed of a pot made of steel in which an elastomer disk is inserted is a bearing supporting larger loads than the elastomeric bearing and accommodating rotational movement. Owing to a Poisson’s ratio close to 0.5, elastomer withstands hydrostatic pressure when confined in a rigid body. Accounting for this principle, the vertical load applied on the pot bearing can be obtained by converting the pressure acting on the elastomer. Therefore, a load-measuring pot bearing is developed in this study by embedding a load cell exhibiting remarkable durability in the base plate of the bearing. The details for the insertion of the load cell in the base plate of the pot were improved through finite element analysis to secure sufficient measurement accuracy. The evaluation of the static performance of the pot bearing applying these improved details verified that the bearing exhibited sufficient accuracy for the intended measurement purpose. The dynamic performance evaluation results indicated that accurate measurement of the dynamic load was also achieved without time lag.