Mass and Force Group

The group also

Provides appropriate leadership and input to embody strong representation of U.S. interests and technology at national, regional, and international standards organizations in the fields of mass and force metrology.
Carries out research and development and provides technical support in 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, custom tests, and consulting for mass and force metrology to improve NIST capabilities for accomplishing the first two items above to meet the needs and demands of U.S. industry, government, and the scientific community and to improve public health and welfare.
Provides technical support for legal metrology and to assist industry with the characterization of force transducers used in discrete parts manufacturing. deadweight machine images

Learn more about mass calibrations after the SI Redefinition >>

News and Updates

White Cat Hair on Black Pants: International Study Measures Stability of Precision Masses to Benefit Trade

November 26, 2018

Credit: Jennifer Lauren Lee/NIST A selection of the 1-kg stainless steel weights used in the study. When are two

Exactly how loud is that jackhammer?

August 17, 2018

When a jackhammer starts pounding outside your window at 7 o’clock on a Monday morning, you might find it annoying. For

Comparison of Future Realizations of the Kilogram - Final Report

March 15, 2018

The Pilot Study — read 2016 article details — was completed in late 2016 and the Final Report was published on the BIPM

NIST Sharpens the 'Charpy' Test to Make a More Precise Impact on Industrial Materials

February 26, 2018

A decade before an iceberg shattered the hull plates of the Titanic and half a century before a plague of brittle

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

Quantifying the environmental contributions to mass change

Since the inception of the SI system of units, physical mass artifacts have been transferred and exchanged in order to disseminate the kilogram. The kilogram is

Small Mass and Small Force Metrology at NIST

There are two projects: The electronic milligram; and NIST-on-a-chip optomechanical methods for calibration of mass, force, laser power and other quantities.

NIST Mise en Pratique of the New Kilogram Definition

As part of a New SI system of units to be adopted in 2018, the kilogram will be redefined so that it may be realized in terms of Planck's constant. By

Reconditioning of the 4.45 MN deadweight machine

Physical disassembly of the 4.45 MN (1,000,000 lbf) deadweight machine (DWM) began in FY15 in order to address material galling that developed in key structural

Publications

The Design and Development of a Tabletop Kibble Balance at NIST

March 20, 2019

Author(s)

Leon S. Chao, Frank C. Seifert, Darine El Haddad, Stephan Schlamminger

A global paradigm shift to redefine the International System of Units (SI) from a system based on seven fundamental units to seven fundamental constants is well

Traceability of frequency based mass measurements using a quartz crystal microbalance

November 13, 2018

Author(s)

Corey A. Stambaugh, Joshua M. Pomeroy, Hamza Shakeel

The Quartz Crystal Microbalance provides critical measurement capability for a wide variety of \textit{in situ} and \textit{in vivo} applications. However, it

Nanometer Positional Control using Magnetic Suspension for Vacuum-to-Air Mass Metrology

July 2, 2018

Author(s)

Nicholas A. Vlajic, Melissa L. Davis, Corey A. Stambaugh

This paper explains the control scheme that is to be used in the Magnetic Suspension Mass Comparator, an instrument designed to directly compare mass artifacts

Progress on Vacuum-to-Air Mass Calibration System Using Magnetic Suspension to Disseminate the Planck-constant Realized Kilogram

July 31, 2017

Author(s)

Eric C. Benck, Corey A. Stambaugh, Edward C. Mulhern, Patrick J. Abbott, Zeina J. Kubarych

The kilogram is the unit of mass in the International System of units (SI) and has been defined as the mass of the International Prototype Kilogram (IPK) since

Mass and Force Group

News and Updates

White Cat Hair on Black Pants: International Study Measures Stability of Precision Masses to Benefit Trade

Exactly how loud is that jackhammer?

Comparison of Future Realizations of the Kilogram - Final Report

NIST Sharpens the 'Charpy' Test to Make a More Precise Impact on Industrial Materials

Industry Impacts

Massive Forces for Heavy Industry

Projects and Programs

Quantifying the environmental contributions to mass change

Small Mass and Small Force Metrology at NIST

NIST Mise en Pratique of the New Kilogram Definition

Reconditioning of the 4.45 MN deadweight machine

Publications

The Design and Development of a Tabletop Kibble Balance at NIST

Traceability of frequency based mass measurements using a quartz crystal microbalance

Nanometer Positional Control using Magnetic Suspension for Vacuum-to-Air Mass Metrology

Progress on Vacuum-to-Air Mass Calibration System Using Magnetic Suspension to Disseminate the Planck-constant Realized Kilogram

Contacts

Group Leader