When measuring the mass and the co-ordinates of the centre of gravity of a large structure, reliability, reproducibility and measurement accuracy are increasingly important. The various items that affect the measurement accuracy will be discussed. A method is given for the determination of an overall uncertainty, starting from errors that cannot be eliminated by proper corrections, in combination with the statistical uncertainty of the measurements.

A standardized weighing procedure is described, underlining stable and reproducible loading conditions to get good statistical reliability.

The state of the art in the best attainable measurement uncertainty is given.

Keywords:
standard deviation, reliability, indicator, temperature change, load cell, procedure, calibration, reproducibility, total uncertainty, instrument
Subjects:
Information Management and Systems
Copyright 1984, Society of Petroleum Engineers
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