THE PRINCIPAL OF CENTRIPETAL FORCE AND THE SCIENCE BEHIND OUR SOLIDS FLOW MEASUREMENT

The CentriFlow Meter from Eastern Instruments is a Solid Particle Mass Flow Meter that is durable, accurate, maintenance-free, compact, and cost-effective. It is unique and positioned to replace weigh belts, impact meters, loss in weight meters, and static weigh scales, anywhere that accuracy, low maintenance, and zero drift are paramount.

Below is a description of how Eastern Instruments has used the principal of centripetal force to accurately measure the flow of solids ranging from granular products that are extremely free flowing to the dustiest of powders.

The secret to the amazing accuracy that can be achieved with Eastern Instruments' solids flow measurement products lies in their zero-friction patented design, which is based on the principle of centripetal force.

Centripetal force is the inward force required to keep an object moving in a circular path. It can be shown that an object moving in a circular path has acceleration toward the center of the circle along a radius. This radial acceleration, called the centripetal acceleration, is such that, if an object has a linear or tangential velocity when moving in a circular path of radius (R), the centripetal acceleration is V²/R. If the object undergoing the centripetal acceleration has a mass (M), then by Newton's second law of motion, the centripetal force (Fc) is in the direction of acceleration. This is expressed by the formula:

From Newton's first law of motion, it follows that the natural motion of an object is one with constant speed in a straight line, and that a force is necessary if the object is to depart from this type of motion. Whenever an object moves in a curve, a centripetal force is present.

The CentriFlow Meter and all of the products in our Solids Flow Measurement Product Line actually measure the centripetal force exerted on the curved surface of the Measurement Pan as particles travel over it. The meter does not measure the impact of particles because they never impact the Measurement Pan. Rather, they slide across the Pan for a longer duration, thus resulting in a significantly more accurate signal.

Based on the patented design of the Measurement Pan, these unique devices are able to identify and cancel the friction component and, when combined with a velocity that is constant and a radius that is unchanging, the flow equals mass. In this manner, the flow signal from our devices is an actual mass flow which is linear and accurate and is not affected by density or slight particle size variations. That is zero friction flow measurement.