Force Plate Installation

All Bertec force plates are pre-assembled in the factory, and are ready to be used. They can be used either mounted to the floor or without mounting. If the activity to be studied involves shear forces it is recommended that the plate is mounted in order to avoid accidental sliding of the force plate.

In all cases, the floor on which testing is to be done should be stiff enough to minimize any vibrations of the floor. Bertec force plates are sensitive devices. Therefore, they might pick up vibrations coming from the support structure. Another consideration is the flatness of the mounting surface. The surface should be flat enough to prevent rocking of the force plate. Shimming with sheets of paper is a low-tech solution, which solves the problem.

For effective use, the top surface of the force plate should be at the same level as the rest of the floor. For this purpose, a pit can be made in which the plate is mounted. Alternatively, a raised walkway can be used with the top surface of the walkway at the same level with the force plate. No matter what methodology is used, remember to leave room for the output cable and make sure that the force plate does not touch any surrounding structure as this might result in measurement errors. A gap of 2-3 mm (0.080"-0.120") between the force plate and surrounding floor will be appropriate (see Figure). The following practical considerations will be helpful during installation. If you need additional assistance, please contact Bertec Corporation.

Installation Without Mounting Plate

Bertec force plates may be used on any type of surface. When used on a hard, non-flat surface shimming is required to prevent rocking of the plate (plain paper works fine for shimming small gaps up to 1/32"). When mounting to a concrete surface, Bertec recommends using threaded anchors permanently affixed to the concrete floor. The standard bolts to be used with force plates are of the size 3/8" - 16 UNC (or M8 - 1.25). For the exact locations of the anchor points for different force plate models, please refer to the anchor locations for your specific force plate. Finally, the area where the plate is going to be mounted should be clean.

Caution should be taken, however, when using unfixed force plates. Large shear forces may cause an unattached plate to move on the surface, which can be dangerous for both the subject and any by-standers. Bertec recommends avoiding use of unfixed plates in these situations.

If you are not sure about the flatness of the mounting surface, then tighten the anchoring bolts as little as possible to avoid bending the base of the force plate. Make sure that entire surface below the feet is properly shimmed.

Installation With Mounting Plate

Standard mounting plates are ¾" (19 mm) thick and have the same dimensions as the force plate (for nonstandard mounting plates, please contact Bertec). The mounting plates come with pre-tapped holes that match the anchor locations on the feet of the force plate, along with leveling hardware. Typically, the mounting plate is rigidly affixed to the floor with a high strength epoxy or construction adhesive. The flatness of the floor and as a result the flatness of the mounting plate is very important; therefore, floors that result in gaps of up to 3/16" under the mounting plate will receive construction adhesive whereas floors with larger gaps will receive epoxy. Once the mounting plate is adhered to the floor, then the force plate is mounted onto it via four hexagonal cap screws of size 3/8" - 16 UNC (or M8 - 1.25). The following installation hardware is provided with the mounting plate:

Please read all the installation instructions included with your force plate and mounting plate.

Upon request, custom designed mounting plates (e.g. for multiple force plates, accommodating different plate configurations) are also available.

For printable Force Plate Installation Instructions and Mounting Plate Gluing Instructions, see the Instructions section of the Technical Publications.