Test & measurement
to significantly improve material quality of the cold rolled strip by providing consistently accurate flatness measurement data.
A GROWING FAMILY OF FORCE MEASUREMENT SOLUTIONS Orvar Dahle’s idea has since spawned a family of other force, torque and flatness measurement systems that have dramatically expanded applications for the same core technology. While Pressductor was conceived as a linear force sensor, its development was paralleled by another product harnessing the same physical principles. Also patented by Dahle in the early 1950s, Torductor was designed to measure the torque – or twisting forces – of pulpwood grinder shafts as well as the propeller shafts of large ships of the time. Refinements to Dahle’s original design resulted in Torductor-S, a rugged non-contact torque sensor with no moving parts that offers the same high signal output as Pressductor with excellent immunity to electromagnetic interference. Opening up new markets for direct torque measurement, Torductor has found favour in other sectors including the automotive industry, where it is harnessed to improve engine performance, ensure smoother gearshifts and improve fuel efficiency.
THINKING BIG: A GROWING WORLD OF APPLICATIONS
70 years on from Dahle’s original patent, Pressductor remains the preeminent standard for roll force measurement in the metals industry. To date over 20,000 roll force load cells have been delivered by ABB to mills worldwide. Stressometer is similarly the undisputed leader in flatness systems, with more than 1,300 systems delivered globally.
Meanwhile the magneto-elastic effect successfully harnessed by Dahle in the 1950s provides the same foundations for a broad spectrum of other force and flatness measurement applications. Pressductor load cells, for example, provide accurate tension monitoring during paper, plastics and textile manufacture, reducing the danger of web breaks and costly stoppages. And as newspapers and magazines go to print, Pressductor helps maintain control of the press rollers to prevent jamming.
Pressductor has also played a starring role in solving some unique large-scale engineering
challenges. Located between Norway and the Shetland Isles, an oil platform constructed in the early 1980s by Conoco (latterly ConocoPhillips) employed 96 Pressductor sensors to ensure even loads as the platform’s huge constituent sections were welded together.
One of London’s best-known landmarks, Tower Bridge features two hydraulically- operated decks – known as bascules – that are opened and closed to allow the passage of shipping. Weighing over 1,000 tonnes each, the counterbalanced bascules can be raised and lowered in minutes. The weight of traffic on the 130-year-old bridge had affected the main bearings on which the deck structures pivot, with some bearings carrying more load than others. Installing ABB Millmate Pressductor load cells has allowed continuous load measurement, with any imbalance activating hydraulic cylinders to maintain equal loads across the deck bearings.
AN ENDURING LEGACY
Seven decades on from its conception by Orvar Dahle and his wife Birgit, Pressductor and other magneto-elastic technology products by ABB are more relevant than ever. Industrialisation and urbanisation are fuelling continued demand for vehicles, white goods and hundreds of other products whose production depends on accurate measurement and control of roll force, strip thickness, tension and flatness. And as society drives to greater sustainability, ABB’s portfolio of force measurement and control solutions can help manufacturers design and produce more energy- efficient, longer lasting products with less waste.
ABB
www.abb.com 34 May 2025 Instrumentation Monthly
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