Details of Strain

Gauge Sensor
Name – Tirtharaj Pati
University Roll Number – 14201619089
Stream – EE(B)
Subject – Sensors And Transducers
Overview
 A Strain gauge is a sensor whose resistance varies with applied force; It converts force,
pressure, tension, weight, etc., into a change in electrical resistance which can then be
measured. When external forces are applied to a stationary object, stress and strain are the
result. Stress is defined as the object's internal resisting forces, and strain is defined as the
displacement and deformation that occur.

 Invented by Edward E. Simmons and Arthur C. Ruge in 1938, the most common type of
strain gauge consists of an insulating flexible backing which supports a metallic foil
pattern. The gauge is attached to the object by a suitable adhesive, such
as cyanoacrylate. As the object is deformed, the foil is deformed, causing its electrical
resistance to change. This resistance change, usually measured using a Wheatstone
bridge, is related to the strain by the quantity known as the gauge factor.
Strain Gauge
Introduction to Strain Gauges
 Strain gauge and pressure sensors are widely used in many measurement
applications, from static to dynamic. For example, they are commonly used inside
load cell sensors for weight measurement, and in certain kinds of accelerometer
sensors. Strain gauge sensors are used for measuring:
• strain
• weight
• force
• deflection
• vibration
• load
• torque
• pressure
• stress.
Electrical Resistance Strain Gauge
Theory
 Electric strain gauges use physical relationships between electrical parameters and material
deformation. Depending on the measured units, there is a division of strain gauges:
• magnetostrictive,
• photoelectric,
• piezoelectric,
• capacitive,
• inductive,
• electroresistive.
 The electroresistive strain gauges are characterized by good accuracy and sensitivity of strain
measurements of the tested sample. The distance of the test sample from the strain gauge can
be large in the case of electric strain gauges, which also allows measurement in many
measuring places for the material stresses of the test system. Due to the very low value of the
inertia parameter of the measurement system, electrofusion strain gauges are well suited for
testing fast-changing strains.
Strain Gauge Internal Construction

The strain gauge system consists of the

following components:

•a sensor, which converts mechanical

values into electrical values,

•power supply, alternating current

generator with measuring bridge,

•DC and AC amplifiers,

•recorder of changes in electrical

quantities.

Where: G – voltage generator, R1, R2, R3,

R4 – foil strain gauge, R5 – bridge
balancing resistor, WS – selector signal
amplifier, PF – phaser, rectifier, FD – low
pass filter, W – resistance measurement.
Physical Operation
 A strain gauge takes advantage of the physical property of electrical conductance and its
dependence on the conductor's geometry.

 When an electrical conductor is stretched within the limits of its elasticity such that it does
not break or permanently deform, it will become narrower and longer, which increases its
electrical resistance end-to-end.

 Conversely, when a conductor is compressed such that it does not buckle, it will broaden and
shorten, which decreases its electrical resistance end-to-end. From the measured electrical
resistance of the strain gauge, the amount of induced stress may be inferred.

 A typical strain gauge arranges a long, thin conductive strip in a zig-zag pattern of parallel
lines. This does not increase the sensitivity, since the percentage change in resistance for a
given strain for the entire zig-zag is the same as for any single trace.

 A single linear trace would have to be extremely thin, hence liable to overheating (which
would change its resistance and cause it to expand), or would need to be operated at a much
lower voltage, making it difficult to measure resistance changes accurately.
Working Principle and Diagram Of Strain Gauge
Gauge Factor

 The gauge factor GF is defined as:

where
is the change in resistance caused by strain,
is the resistance of the undeformed gauge, and
is strain
For common metallic foil gauges, the gauge factor is usually a little over 2. For a single
active gauge and three dummy resistors of the same resistance about the active gauge in a
balanced Wheatstone bridge configuration, the output sensor voltage from the bridge is
approximately:

is the bridge excitation voltage.

Geometries Of
Strain Gauge
The following different kind of
strain gauges are available in the
market:
•Linear strain gauges
•Membrane Rosette strain gauges
•Double linear strain gauges
•Full bridge strain gauges
•Shear strain gauges
•Half bridge strain gauges
•Column strain gauges
•45°-Rosette (3 measuring
directions)
•90°-Rosette (2 measuring
directions).
Applications Of Strain Gauge
 Structural health monitoring
Structural health monitoring (SHM) is used to monitor structures after their completion. To prevent
failures, strain gauges are used to detect and locate damages and creep. A specific example is the
monitoring of bridge cables increasing safety by detecting possible damages.
 Biological measurements
Measuring the strain of skin can provide a multitude of biomechanic measurements such as posture,
joint rotation, respiration and swelling both in humans and other animals. Resistive foil strain gauges
are seldom used for these applications, however, due to their low strain limit. Instead, soft and
deformable strain gauges are often attached to a host garment, to make it simple to apply the sensor
to the correct part of the body, though sometimes they are attached directly to the skin.
 Predictive maintenance
Many objects and materials in industrial applications have a finite life. To improve their lifetime and
cost of ownership, predictive maintenance principles are used. Strain gauges can be used to monitor the
strain as an indicator of fatigue in materials to enable software systems to predict when certain
components need to be replaced or serviced.
 Aviation
In aviation, strain gauges are the standard approach to measuring the structural load and
calculating wing deflection. Strain gauges are fixed in several locations on the aircraft.
However, deflection measurement systems have been shown to measure reliable strains
remotely.
References
 https://911electronic.com/strain-
gauge/#Strain_Gauge_formula_in_Measurements_using_strain_gauges_Wheats
tone_bridge

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strain_gauge

 https://www.electrical4u.com/strain-gauge/

 https://www.google.com/

 https://dewesoft.com/daq/measure-strain-and-pressure

 https://www.michsci.com/what-is-a-strain-gauge/