Concrete
Deck Motor Truck Scale Brochure
For two decades Weigh-Tronix has built premium truck scales that have become
the performance benchmark for ruggedness and performance in heavy use
applications. Now Weigh-Tronix has introduced a new class of truck scale, the
BridgeMont. It is a scale for the majority of users, the people who require a
scale they can count on, day in and day out.
BridgeMont designers asked new questions: How do you reduce the cost of truck
scale ownership?
As they began the development of the new BridgeMont truck scale, Weigh-Tronix
designers recognized that their strength was building truck scales with long
service life. Now they needed to ask "How do we build the same quality into a
scale for general use? How do we provide the product that gives long years of
service without over building? What design choices do we make that will reduce
the cost of truck scale ownership?"
Structural integrity, the biggest variable in cost of ownership.
Weigh-Tronix designers employed a technology called Finite Element Analysis (FEA)
to the design of the BridgeMont to substantially reduce the cost of our standard
truck scale without sacrificing structural integrity.
Weigh-Tronix engineers created computer generated models of each proposed design
for the new BridgeMont Truck Scale. The FEA technology permitted them to measure
critical stress factors on virtually every component of the scale, testing the
new designs under worst case conditions. They could test the performance of the
deck when it is improperly loaded, checking for potential damage and premature
wear.
As a result they developed a new configuration for the deck that reduced the
weight of the deck but maintained the strength. The FEA technology let designers
model and pretest multiple designs, letting them make the most efficient use of
structural steel and concrete.
The weighing surface of the BridgeMont Concrete Deck is a 5-inch concrete deck
supported by BridgeMont's steel substructure and bottom deck plate. The
substructure supports the concrete of the traffic area of the scale. When the
scale is in use, the steel assumes all tension loading. The concrete assumes
only compression load as it is meant to do. Shear studs in the deck plate bond
the concrete to the steel elements providing a composite structure.
One of the unique choices designers made for the concrete version of the
BridgeMont Truck Scale was to specify fiber mesh concrete for the deck. Fiber
mesh concrete blends virgin polypropylene fiber with the concrete to strengthen
the concrete, making it resistant to cracking and damage from temperature
changes. BridgeMont Concrete Truck Scales with fiber mesh concrete have no need
for rebar or wire mesh reinforcement for the poured concrete decks.
BridgeMont preserves the best elements of proven Weigh-Tronix design
BridgeMont installs anywhere. Depending on your state regulations, space
requirements and environmental conditions, you can use it as a pit type scale,
place it on a concrete slab, or simply set it on concrete piers.
BridgeMont employs Weigh-Tronix traditional link suspension. Each deck section
is suspended from the Weigh Bars by a hardened steel link. This allows the deck
to be self-centering. It compensates for expansion and contraction of the deck
due to tem-perature changes. It eliminates the effects of torque and side
loading.
The heart of the BridgeMont Steel Truck Scale is the Weigh Bar weight sensor.
Weigh-Tronix machines Weigh Bars from high quality aircraft alloy steel bar
stock. Each Weigh Bar goes through a three-step process of heat treating,
quenching and then tempering. The process has two benefits. First, it increases
the weight sensor's resistance to corrosion. Secondly, it enhances the
performance of the Weigh Bar; ensuring its high degree of repeatability by
minimizing hysteresis. The Weigh Bar has proven to be the most dependable and
long lasting electronic weight sensor in the industry.
Simplified installation cuts cost
Another significant choice that Weigh-Tronix designers made was to simplify the
installation of the BridgeMont. The traditional truck scale installation uses
grout plates as bases for the stands that hold the load cells. The grout plates
require precise positioning and must be perfectly level because they ensure that
all the load cells are level. Anchor bolts, positioned in the foundation to
tight tolerances, secure each grout plate.
In contrast, the BridgeMont positions its Weigh Bars in the deck sections
instead of on stands which need to be perfectly level. This design eliminates
the need for grout plates. Installers simply drill and insert anchor bolts at
the time of installation. This saves hours of highly skilled, precision
foundation preparation.
BridgeMont's 20 and 23 foot deck sections are longer than the industry standard.
Therefore, the BridgeMont truck scale will often have one less deck section than
a competitive scale of the same length. This results in a three-time savings.
One less deck section saves the cost of load cells, cable and junction boxes.
One less deck section speeds the installation process and simplifies
calibration. One less deck eliminates one pier, lowering the cost of the
foundation.
In addition, each deck section arrives with Weigh Bars already mounted in the
deck. The cables are hard wired to the Weigh Bars (No connectors to corrode or
fail from dampness). Protective conduit for the wiring and junction boxes are
already in place.
BridgeMont Truck Scales- Another example of a better way from Weigh-Tronix
BridgeMont Truck Scales capitalize on the strengths of a Weigh-Tronix
twenty-five year tradition of building premium truck scales. In addition they
offer the unbeatable combination of structural integrity and cost effectiveness.
Count on Weigh-Tronix to find the better way.
