Measurement of Force, Torque and

Strain

Prepared by
Dr R R Shah
Measuring devices
Measured Measuring instruments
Force, load Analytical balance
Platform balance
Proving ring
Hydraulic / Pneumatic force meter (load cell)
Torque Prony/Rope/Torsion brake dynamometer
Hydraulic dynamometer
Eddy- current dynamometer
Servo control dynamometer
Strain Mechanical/Optical/Electrical gauge
Resistance (Bonded and unbonded) strain gauge
Introduction
Force: It is defined as the reaction between the two bodies or components

The reaction can be either tensile force (Pull) or it can be Compressive

force (Push)

Measurement of force can be done by any two methods:

Direct Method: This involves a direct comparison with a known

gravitational force on a standard mass.
Example: Physical Balance.

Indirect Method: This involves the measurement of effect of force on a

body.
Example: Force is calculated from acceleration due to gravity and the mass
of the component.
Force Measurement Method
Equal arms beam balance scale
Even or unequal arms balance scale
 Wp = weight of poise
Platform Scale Ws = Weight of Pan Multi-lever platform scale
Pendulum Scale
Spring Scale Cantilever beams load cell
Cantilever beams load cell
Proving Ring
Transducer
Hydraulic Force meter

Range :0-2.5 MN
Accuracy :0.1%

• Good response against load variation

• Self contained and required no outside power
• Available for compression and tensile force
• Good sensitivity
• Suitable for high impact loads
• High overloads without loss of accuracy
• Poor Response
• Range of the instrument depends
on the air supply pressure
• High pressure air source is requires
Strain gauge load cell is an electro-mechanical transducer which translates change in force into
change in voltage
Working Principle of Strain gauge

• When a stress is applied to a body, it gets deformed (strain)

and these deformation are related to the applied stress or
force.
• The resistance strain gauge works on the principle that the
resistance of a wire conductor (strain gauge) changes when it
is strained. The change in the resistance have definite relation
with the strain or the applied force.
• These changes in resistance can be measured by Wheatstone
bridge circuit in terms of voltage.
• Fast response against load variation
• Very suitable to measure transient and non-steady force
• Measured compressive as well as tensile load.
Linear Variable Differential
Transformer (LVDT) lad cell
LVDT
Transmission Dynamometer: The energy is not wasted in friction but energy is conveyed
to the surrounding in a useful Mechanical or electrical form.

The torque of rotating element

Can be measured based on rigidity of
Rotating element. In this dynamometer
The torque or rotating element (shaft)
can be measured by measuring angle
Of twist of the shaft.

Angle of Twist (Ɵ)

2𝑇𝐿
=
ℼ 𝐺 (𝑟04 − 𝑟𝑖4 )
Torsion Bar Dynamometer: (Bevis-Gibson)
Block type Prony Brake Dynamometer
Hydraulic Dynamometer
Eddy-current dynamometer
• The principle : the power loss produced on account of eddy current
which is generated when rotating conductor cuts across magnetic
flux. This eddy current get dissipated in form of heat.
• Act as an absorption type dynamometer.
Eddy current dynamometer
• Two toothed steel rotor fixed on engine shaft
• Inside the rotor – stator is fixed
• The existing coil is fitted into inner surface groove of stator
• The stator mounting on bearings and arm.
Eddy Current Dynamometer
Eddy Current Dynamometer
The fact that strain means relative change in shape or size implies that it
is dimensionless and has no units.

Strain Gauge : a device for indicating the strain of a material or

structure at the point of attachment.
• A device used for measuring dimensional change on the surface of
a structural member under the test.
It is often easy to measure the parameters like length, displacement,
weight etc. that can be felt easily by some senses. However, it is very
difficult to measure the dimensions like force, stress and strain that
cannot be really sensed directly by any instrument. For such cases
special devices called strain gauges are very useful.
Strain Gauge :
There are some materials whose resistance changes when strain is
applied to them or when they are stretched and this change in resistance
can be measured easily. For applying the strain you need force, thus the
change in resistance of the material can be calibrated to measure the
applied force. Thus the devices whose resistance changes due to applied
strain or applied force are called as the strain gauges.

Example: When strain is applied to a thin metallic wire, its dimensional

changes, thus changing the resistance of the wire. The effect of variables
to be measured are first by primary transducer like bellow, bourdon tube,
cantilever beam and then converted in to small displacement. The
displacement is measured by the strain gauge.
 It is self contained magnification
System and no auxiliary equipment
is needed

Use for only static strain measurement

Optical Strain Gauge

Martin’s Mirror type extensometer

L B Tuckerman Optical Stain gauge Only for static measurement.

Combined mechanical and optical levers and consists

Of two parts as an extensometer and autocollimator
Principle of Working of Strain Gauges
When force is applied to any metallic wire its length increases due to the
strain. The more is the applied force, more is the strain and more is the
increase in length of the wire. If L1 is the initial length of the wire and L2 is the
final length after application of the force, the strain is given as:
ε =(L2-L1)/L1
Further, as the length of the stretched wire increases, its diameter decreases.
Now, we know that resistance of the conductor is the inverse function of the
length. As the length of the conductor increases its resistance decreases. This
change in resistance of the conductor can be measured easily and calibrated
against the applied force. Thus strain gauges can be used to measure force and
related parameters like displacement and stress. The input and output
relationship of the strain gauges can be expressed by the term gauge factor or
gauge gradient, which is defined as the change in resistance R for the given
value of applied strain ε.
Electrical strain gauge
Gauge Factor or Strain sensitivity Factor : It is measure the amount of
resistance change for a given Strain and therefore serves as an index
of the strain sensitivity of the gauge.
∆𝑅/𝑅
Ss = F =
∆ 𝑙/𝑙
Where, ∆𝑅 = Change in resistance
∆𝑙 = change in length
R = initial resistance
l = initial length
 Capacitance Gauge
The sensitivity of the gauge is directly dependant of the modulus of elasticity and of the electrical permittivity
of the dielectric. For conditions prevailing in superconducting magnet applications (High pressure cycling in a
wide range of temperatures), polyimide tapes are well suited. The absolute accuracy of capacitive gauges is +/-
5% and +/- 1% for the reproducibility of measurements.
A fine wire is cemented to a thin backlite sheet or thin paper sheet and covered with a
protective sheet of paper or thin backlite
 Photo etching technique

a) Metal foil strain gauge schematic

b) A quarter bridge circuit can be used to measure resistance change in the gauge
Eureka wire is wound
Measure large strain
 When external force applied to
It consists of stationary frame the Armature , the strain gauge
And moving armature which wire Stretched.
Connected with a body.
 1 𝐹 𝑒 𝑉𝑠
𝑑𝑉0 =
4 1
 𝐹 𝑒2−𝑒4 𝑉𝑠
dVo =
4