How Truck Scale Suppliers Help Users Reduce Lightning Strike Damages？
During thunderstorm seasons, lightning strikes tend to damage weighing sensors and indicators of truck scales, causing economic losses to scale users.
Don’t worry. Chongqing Bincheng Electrical & Mechanical Technology Co., Ltd. provides you with an integrated solution combining grounding, shielding, and surge protection, building a reliable lightning protection system for weighbridges.
The core principle is to establish a three-level lightning protection system, creating a safe and low-resistance path for lightning current to flow into the ground, so as to avoid damage to precision weighing equipment.
1. Lightning Protection Upgrade Solution for Truck Scales
| Protection Level | Core Focus | Key Requirements & Operations | Remarks |
| Grounding System (Foundation) | Establish a low-resistance lightning current discharge path, the prerequisite for all lightning protection measures. | The grounding resistance must be less than 4Ω. In thunderstorm-prone areas or areas with high soil resistivity, it is recommended to achieve a resistance below 2Ω. | |
| Grounding Grid | Use 40×4mm galvanized flat steel to form a ring-shaped grounding body around the scale platform, reliably connecting all metal components (scale platform, sensor bases, conduit pipes). Copper-plated steel rods are recommended for grounding electrodes, buried no less than 2.5 meters deep. | ||
| Surge Protector (Key) | Install SPDs (Surge Protective Devices) on power lines, signal lines and other “necessary paths” to limit overvoltage within the safe range of equipment.Power System: Adopt three-level progressive protection.Main distribution box: Install Class I test SPD (10/350μs waveform). | Our company is equipped with weighing junction boxes, whose circuit boards contain electronic lightning protection components, effectively protecting sensor and instrument interfaces, and reducing the chance of cross-interference between them. | |
| Equipotential Bonding (Core) | Our factory-supplied truck scales are equipped with lightning protection grounding wires. | ||
| Scale Foundation Waterproofing | Keep the foundation pit free of water accumulation. | Before the rainy season, clear sludge and water under the scale platform, and check the sealing of sensors and junction boxes to prevent insulation degradation and faults caused by moisture. |
2. Tips & Common Mistakes to Avoid
In addition to the technical standards mentioned above, the following tips and pitfalls will help make your protection more effective:
- Dedicated Ground Wire for Sensors
Install a separate grounding wire for each sensor and connect it to the foundation steel bars. This ensures lightning current does not pass through the sensor body.
- Cable Routing Matters
Keep sensor cables as short as possible, and never coil them. Coiled cables can induce extremely high electromotive force during a lightning strike, which will damage the equipment instead of protecting it.
- Cable Shielding & Installation
Use shielded cables for all signal and power lines, and run them through metal conduits or trunking. These metal conduits/trunking must also be properly grounded.
- Lightning Protection ≠ Waterproofing
Lightning protection measures do not replace routine waterproofing. Before the rainy season, clear sludge and standing water under the scale, and check the seals of sensors and junction boxes. This prevents insulation degradation and equipment failure caused by moisture.
- The Ultimate Safety Step
When a lightning warning is issued, the most direct and effective measure is to cut off the main power supply to the weighbridge and unplug all signal line connectors.
