Counterweight is a weight that is located in the opposite sector from another with the objective that both reach a balance . The idea of weight, on the other hand, alludes to the force of attraction that the planet earth exerts on the bodies .
Counterweight function
What a counterweight does is achieve compensation for the force that is expected to occur. In this way it ensures stability because the opposing forces, due to the action of gravity , end up neutralizing each other. It can be said that a counterweight , therefore, is used to balance forces. Its use is common when a major shift occurs masses , such as cranes and hoists lifts . In the case of cranes , the counterweight is exercised with concrete blocks ( concrete). This makes it possible to compensate for the force of the arm when lifting the load. The elevators , for their part, have counterweights that are fixed to the cabin through rollers . The motor is responsible for mobilizing the difference between the elevator load and the counterweight.
Examples
The elevators need a counterweight to the displacement of the load as possible, and its features depends largely on the fluidity of operation. The design contemplates a series of rails through which it must circulate, which are the same as those of the cabin although they are in the opposite direction. In the case of electric lifts , the most widely used today, the counterweight is one of the fundamental elements, and must be combined with a series of electrical parts, electronic and mechanical to get the cabin to move vertically, in either direction. A failure in any of these parts can be fatal, which is why frequent maintenance is necessary. Interestingly, elevator speeds can range from a fraction of a meter per second to several hundred meters per second, depending on your technology and applications .
