Meßglied

Meßglied (often written Messglied) is the component of a measuring device that directly responds to the measurand and converts it into a measurable signal or displacement. The term is used in metrology, sensor technology and instrumentation to denote the element that actually senses the quantity being measured.

A Meßglied can be mechanical, electrical or optical. Mechanical examples include the movable parts in gauges or micrometers that translate displacement into a reading. Electrical measuring elements include resistive sensors (such as RTDs or strain gauges), piezoelectric elements and capacitive or inductive sensors. Optical measuring elements cover photodetectors, interferometers or other light-based transducers. In all cases, the Meßglied is the part of the system that undergoes a change in response to the measurand and provides an output signal for processing, display or recording.

Function and signal chain: the measurand acts on the Meßglied, which then produces an output signal (displacement, force, voltage, current, frequency, etc.) that is processed by electronics and translated into a readable value. The quality of a measurement depends on the Meßglied’s properties as well as the calibration, linearity, hysteresis, temperature stability and response time of the overall instrument.

Examples illustrate the concept: in a resistance thermometer, the Pt100 element is the Meßglied; in a load cell, the strain-sensitive element is the Meßglied; in a capacitive sensor, the movable plate forms the Meßglied.

Orthography note: historical texts may spell it Meßglied; the modern standard spelling is Messglied.