Wind Effect on Truck Scales
Wind Effect on Truck Scales
(OP)
I'm working with four above ground, low profile truck scales (bottom of the scales 7-18 are inches above grade). Wind effects cause fluctuations on the readings up to 600 lbs, both positive and negative, with or without traffic on the scale. Fluctuations occur regardless of wind direction. The scale company already provided some dampening of the scales to limit the fluctuations. This helped, but did not solve the problem. A large wind wall was constructed at one scale but is questionable whether it helped.
Any other suggestions? Blocking wind from beneath the scales would be easiest to construct. But, how much of the fluctuations are due to wind OVER the scales? How to quantify this with any reasonable accuracy?
I suspect this problem is not unique and has been resolved successfully somewhere...
Any other suggestions? Blocking wind from beneath the scales would be easiest to construct. But, how much of the fluctuations are due to wind OVER the scales? How to quantify this with any reasonable accuracy?
I suspect this problem is not unique and has been resolved successfully somewhere...





RE: Wind Effect on Truck Scales
Load the scale with a truck and semi-trailer and measure the flucuations in the readings. Next load with a flatbed (empty) and measure the flucuations. Thirdly, load with a passenger vehicle and again measure the flucuations. If they are relatively equal, the telemetry cabling, or readout device may be faulty. The scale pickup(s) could also be faulty. I would be interested to see whether the scale flucuations were different between the semi-trailer than with the flatbed.
KRS Services
www.krs-services.com
RE: Wind Effect on Truck Scales
We've seen fluctuations regardless of the size of vehicle, from passenger cars to loaded garbage trucks.
The scale company has dampened the scales as much as possible and they indicated there is nothing else they can do.
RE: Wind Effect on Truck Scales
From a pure measurement statistics perspective, if the measurement falls with the error bounds of the measurement, it should be deemed correct to the extent possible.
TTFN
RE: Wind Effect on Truck Scales
But then again, what do I know? I'm a traffic engineer. I'd cross-post your question to an aerodynamic engineering forum.
RE: Wind Effect on Truck Scales
KRS Services
www.krs-services.com
RE: Wind Effect on Truck Scales
TTFN
RE: Wind Effect on Truck Scales
The scale should read accurate without flucuation.
KRS Services
www.krs-services.com
RE: Wind Effect on Truck Scales
RE: Wind Effect on Truck Scales
RE: Wind Effect on Truck Scales
The acceptable tolerance is +/- 20 pounds. The scales are used to weigh both commercial and private vehicles at a landfill. When the fluctuations are several hundred pounds, a small, light private vehicle can weigh more when leaving landfill than when they arrived full of garbage (according to the scale reading). A few have even asked for a refund.
The DOT scales I've checked with are all below ground scales and have not had a problem. Other landfills I've contacted haven't had the probem either.
Lacking any other info, it seems most practical to install a wind curtain to keep wind from blowing below the scales as a pilot test. Trying to quantify the wind effects for both over and under the scales seems like an educated guess at best.
RE: Wind Effect on Truck Scales
Just my observations and opinion after speaking with a few owner's of scales.
KRS Services
www.krs-services.com