The History of Load Cells

The History of Load Cells

Modern load cells work using a combination of the Wheatstone bridge equation and the strain gauge. The Wheatstone bridge equation was developed in 1833 by Samuel Hunter Christie, and improved upon and popularized in 1843 by Sir Charles Wheatstone. Wheatstone bridge circuits illustrate the concept of a difference measurement. Today, load cells are usually made up of four strain gauges in a Wheatstone configuration.

Before the strain gage, people conducted their industrial weighing applications with mechanical lever scales. After that, they used both hydraulic and pneumatic force sensors. While, as we mentioned, the Wheatstone bridge equation was invented in the mid-1800s, it wasn’t until the mid-1900’s that it was joined with the strain gauge to make effective load cells. The first bonded resistance wire strain gauge was developed in the 1940s. Years later, when modern electronics caught up, load cell development became both technically and economically viable. Once that happened, the industry took off, and it hasn’t slowed down since.