WEIGHTOMETERS

WEIGHTOMETER ERRORS

Weightometer errors occur in two forms, namely; Random Errors and Systematic
Errors.

1. RANDOM ERRORS
Also called “Non Repeatability” errors, is the name for the errors which are
seen when the same measurement is repeated, over and over.

SOURCES OF RANDOM ERRORS

In belt weighing, random errors come from “Influence Errors”, such as belt
tension, idler roll alignment and out of roundness, the general sensitivity of
the belt scale’s weigh frame to alignment, temperature and belt tension.
These factors move slowly around in circles so that over a year, a typical
highly random belt scale may move around inside a few percentage range.
Here is a list of a few fundamental sources of variability:
a) Weigh frame deflection and belt stiffness
b) Weigh frame sensitivity to the position at which the calibration masses are
applied
c) Weigh frame friction, stiction and hysteresis
d) Belt tension, variability of belt tension caused by sticking gravity take up,
or angle of wrap around the pickup pulley
e) Weigh frame initial alignment quality
f) Uncontrolled spillage which is not zeroed off
g) Connection of the tachometer to the belt, skip, slip and bounce
h) Stability of pulley and idler diameters in the face of process material build-
up.

2. SYSTEMATIC ERRORS
This is the error that is always there. This error comes from:
a. The inherent randomness of the belt weigher itself, and
b. The difficulty of simulating a live load of material on the belt.

The solution to this can only come from an appropriate combination of;
¾ Always taking multiple measurements to overcome the effect of
randomness, or to verify repeatability
¾ Going to greater extremes in simulating live loads of material for
calibration purposes.

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An “absolute” test of vertical alignment is to vary the belt tension and
observe the system zero. A PERFECT ALIGNMENT WILL RESULT IN NO
APPRECIABLE CHANGE IN THE ZERO POINT.

SOURCES OF SYSTEMATIC ERRORS

Concave or convex curves near the weigh frame will cause belt lift or pull
down which will vary with load and belt tension.

Installation too close to a feed point will have the material settling as it
transits the weightometer and causing errors due to material movement in
the vertical plane.

Steering/tracking idlers within sometimes considerable distances (up to 20

frames) can cause substantial error. They must be located a minimum of 11
idler spaces either side of the scale-mounted idlers.

Installation near the head end of a simple inclined conveyor will produce
much less accurate results than those nearer the tail end.

GUIDE TO THE INSTALLATION AND OPERATION OF BELT

SCALES/WEIGHERS

1. BELT TENSION: The scale must be installed in an area where the belt
tension and tensioning variations are minimal. For this reason, the scale
should be installed near the tail section of the conveyor, but far enough
forward so as not to be influenced by the infeed skirt boards and vertical
component caused by feed segregation in the vertical plane.
2. BELT LOADING: It is desired that the belt loading be as uniform as
possible.
3. LOADING POINTS: On high accuracy installations, the conveyor should be
loaded at one and the same point.
4. MATERIAL SLIPPAGE: Product speed must equal belt speed at the scale.
The conveyor speed and slope should not exceed that at which material
slippage occurs.
5. CONVEX CURVES: Straight conveyors are preferred to curved conveyors.
Corves are not recommended between loading point and the scale.
Convex curves are permissible at a distance of 7 metres, or a minimum of
5 idler spaces, beyond the scale area idlers.
6. CONCAVE CURVES: The point of tangency on a concave curve must be at
least 13 metres beyond the scale. The scale must be installed on a
straight line and the belt must be in contact with 8 idlers either side of the
scale.
7. WIND LOADING: To minimise the effect of wind loading, a minimum of 7
metres must be enclosed on either side of the scale.

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8. VIBRATIO ON and DEFLECTION
D NS: The enttire conveyyor frame mustm be
isolated from
f bins, feeders,
f chutes crushe ers etc. This prevents bin loading g
from cau using conve eyor deflections and prrotects the scale from vibrations
and shoccks.
9. CONVEYO OR SUPPO ORT: No con nveyor expa ansion jointts or stringeer splices
should be e located inn the region n of the scaale.
10. GRAVITY Y TAKE-UPS: All conve eyors over 10 metres in length sh hould be
equipped d with a gra avity take-uup.
11. BELT TR RACKING: To T enhance e belt tracking, the connstruction ofo the belt
should ha ave the neccessary flexxibility to asssure belt contact
c with
h all scale
area idlers ± 5 idlerrs, when the belt is running emptty.
12. IDLER TYPE:
T All idllers should be of the in-line type.. It is extremely
importan nt that idlers are manu ufactured ass nearly alikke as possible.
13. SCALE SERVICE
S ID
DLERS: Idle ers in the weighing
w are
ea ± 5 shou uld be
round, uniform and of the sam me make, trroughing an ngle and ratting.
Maximum m eccentriciity tolerable e is ± 0.4mmm.
14. IDLER TROUGHING
T G ANGLES:: The use of o idlers withh steep troughing
angles ca auses manyy problems.. Catenary effect is mo ore pronoun nced and
the effecct of idler misalignmen
m nt is amplifie
ed. Troughing angle mustm be lesss
than 35°°.
15. TRAININ NG IDLERS: Training id dlers are onnly accepteed if locatedd 11 idler
spaces either side of o the scale--mounted idlers.
16. IDLER ALIGNMENT
A T: The scalee-mounted idlers and ± 3 (preferrably ± 5)
idlers sho ould be dimmensionally aligned. TH HE INSTALLLATION OF F THESE
IDLERS IS I THE MOS ST CRITICA AL.
17. CALIBRA ATION: Initial calibratio on should beb carried out
o using sim mulated
load (static or dynamic); this should
s ollowed by a live load whenever
be fo
possible. The hysterresis effect must be ch hecked. This is best do one by
gradually y increasing g, then decrreasing the e load to arrrive at zero
o.
18. HYGIENE E: All belt sccales should be dusted d down at least
l once per
p shift to
miminise e the accum mulation of material
m on
n the weigh frame. Thiis
accumula ation could result in th he scale ove er-reading.
19. CONVEYO OR MAINT TENANCE: Whenever
W m
maintenanc e work (eg idler
change, new joint etc) e is carrie ed out on a conveyor belt equipp ped with a
belt scalee, a comple ete calibration must be e carried ou
ut.
20. BELT RE EPLACEMEN NT: Should the conveyyor belt sufffer localized d damage
and an in nsert is required, it is imperative
i that the un
nit weight ofo the insertt
is identiccal to the olld belting.
21. TONNAG GE SPIKES: Highly varriable raw measureme
m nts may co ontain
tonnage spikes exce eeding the scale’s mea asurement limits, often n called
saturatioon. This will lead to under reading g of the fee
ed rate.

RAMOUTAR SEECHAR
RRRA N