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Physical Measurement Laboratory /Quantum Measurement Division

Mass and Force Group

The Group performs the research and development needed to provide traceability, measurement solutions, and calibration services to the US industry, government, and academia in the areas of mass, force, and the dynamic mechanical quantities of acoustics, force, and vibration.

The group also

  • Represents the interests of the US in the national, regional, and international metrology communities, through participation and/or leadership in consultative committees, working groups, and standards organizations to guarantee US competitiveness and the equivalence of standards worldwide.
  • Carries out research and development and provides technical support in legal metrology, measurement science, instrumentation design, development, and testing to develop new physical measurement services, new realization of the units, new transfer standards, new methods and data, and custom tests to improve NIST capabilities in providing traceability and leadership to meet the needs and demands of U.S. industry, government, and the scientific community.

News and Updates

sound setup

Now Hear This!

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have designed and built an optical device that could set a new standard for measuring
Opposite sides of a quartz crystal resonator

Universe in the Balance

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have found a way to link measurements made by a device integral to microchip

Industry Impacts

A man in a hardhat standing on top of the million-pound weight stack with a person standing at the bottom.

Massive Forces for Heavy Industry

Measuring large forces, such as the thrust of a rocket engine or the deflection of an aircraft wing, requires well-calibrated force sensors. NIST’s unique

Projects and Programs

SI Base Units chart

Calibration of Force Transducers

Ongoing
NIST provides calibration services for force-measuring instruments by applying known forces, compression, tension or both, to the elastic transducer and
traceability chain illustration

Calibration of Mass Standards

Ongoing
The NIST Mass and Force Group disseminates the unit of mass, the kilogram, to the US measurement system through calibrations of customer weights and weight sets

Publications

Intrinsically accurate sensing with an optomechanical accelerometer

Author(s)
Benjamin Reschovsky, David Long, Feng Zhou, Yiliang Bao, Richard A. Allen, Jason J. Gorman, Thomas W. LeBrun
We demonstrate a microfabricated optomechanical accelerometer that is capable of percent-level accuracy without external calibration. To achieve this capability

Awards

Contacts

Group Leader