Expt. 1 Strain Gauge
Expt. 1 Strain Gauge
Expt. 1 Strain Gauge
EXPERIMENT NO. 1
Title – Fundamentals of measurements and Calibration process by using Strain Gauges.
Apparatus: Foil/Wired type Strain Gauge, Load cell, Wheatstone bridge Circuit, measuring
weights, cantilever beam
INTRODUCTION
Strain
Strain is the amount of deformation of a body due to an applied force. More specifically, strain
(ε) is defined as the fractional change in length.
Strain can be positive (tensile) or negative (compressive). Although dimensionless, strain is
sometimes expressed in units such as in./in. or mm/mm. In practice, the magnitude of measured
strain is very small. Therefore, strain is often expressed as micro strain (µε), which is ε × 10 -6.
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Measurement Lab
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Measurement Lab
to a tensile stress, the metal length will increase and thus will increase the electrical resistance of
the material. Similarly, if the metal is subjected to compressive stress, the length will decrease,
but the width will increase.
Structure of Strain Gauge
The majority of strain gauges are of foil type available in different shape and size.
They consist of a pattern of resistive foil which is mounted on a backing material.
They operate on the principle that as the foil is subjected to stress, the resistance of the foil
changes in a defined way.
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Measurement Lab
The sensitivity of a strain gauge is described in terms of a characteristic called the gauge factor,
defined as unit change in resistance per unit change in length.
R= ρ L/A
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Measurement Lab
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Measurement Lab
Bending Beam
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Experimental Setup:
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Measurement Lab
Calculations
= E
Where
Stress
E = Young’s Modulus
Strain
For a cantilever beam with a point load at its end,
M/I=/y
M is the moment applied, (P*x) where ‘x’ is the distance between the point of loading
and the mid-section at which strain gage is fixed.
P Is power applied in the test specimen, M*g where M is Mass & g is gravitational
force
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Where,
E=Young’s Modulus
= Strain
m = mass or weight
b = beam width
t = beam thickness
x = distance between the point of loading and the mid-section at which strain
gage isfixed
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