Solano Community College
ENGINEERING 45 LAB
Using Strain Gauge to find Poisson's Ratio and Young's Modulus
PRINCIPLE OF STRAIN GAUGE OPERATION
The resistance R of a wire of cross section A and length L made of a metal of resistivity ρ is R = ρ(L / A). The
resistance will increase if the wire is elastically stretched, merely because L will increase and A will
decrease. In addition to the resistance increase caused by the dimensional change, there will be some change
in the resistivity of the metal since the average spacing between the atoms will be slightly changed if it is
elastically stretched.
Hence it is possible to fasten a piece of thin wire or foil to the surface of a part that is to be stressed, measure
the change in resistance of the wire or foil as the part is stressed, and obtain an indication of the magnitude of
the strain in the metal in the region directly under the wire. This is the principle of the strain gauge operation.
It is necessary to assure that the strain gauge is bonded to the part so that it will strain with the part, and it is
also necessary to insulate electrically the strain gauge from the part. Neither of these problems present too
great of difficulty as long as the temperature is not above a few hundred degrees Fahrenheit. We need to have
a calibration factor for the gauge---the "gauge factor"--to convert the electrical output to strain. The gauge
factor k is defined as fractional change in resistance per unit of strain:
where R(0) = resistance of the gauge at zero strain,
R(ε ) = resistance of the gauge at strain ε
ε = ∆L / Lo = strain.
Measurement of Resistance Changes and Strain
The simplest way of making a highly accurate measurement of the resistance change in the strain gauge as. is
elongated is to use a Wheatstone bridge circuit. The gauge is calibrated to read directly in strain units rather
than in resistance units.
A separate adjustment on the strain indicator compensates for the gauge factor and must be set to correspond
to the gauge factor of the particular strain gauge being used. Some strain indicators indicate zero strain in the
initial unstressed condition--- successive readings with these instruments give strain readings directly. Other
strain indicators give a non-zero initial reading which must be subtracted from each of the subsequent
readings to get the actual strain values relative to the initial unstrained condition.
Temperature and Transverse Strain Effects
If we cement a strain gauge to a test piece at room temperature, then warm the test piece (but without
stressing it), would you expect the strain gauge to indicate a strain in the material? You probably said
something like, "Well, let's see.. .if the gauge metal has a lower coefficient of thermal expansion than the test
piece, then the test piece would expand more than the gauge. So the test piece would be pulling on the gauge
and the gauge would indicate a tensile strain on the test piece even though no stress is applied." Handbooks
on experimental stress analysis give lots of details about various ways of compensating for temperature. But,
it's sufficient to note here that the strain gauge manufacturers have used some tricky metallurgy to produce
their gauges with a whole range of thermal expansion coefficients. If we need a gauge to put on an aluminum
part, we buy the gauges with a thermal expansion coefficient to match aluminum's; likewise, if we're
measuring strains in a forged steel connecting rod, we buy a gauge with the same alpha as the steel.
In this laboratory you're exploring elastic strains perpendicular to the applied stress; what about the same
kind of strains in strain gauges? That is, how sensitive are strain gauges to the stresses perpendicular to the
direction of the gauge windings? Usually, the "transverse sensitivity" of gauges can be neglected, although in
exacting cases a correction must be made.
POISSON'S RATIO
Introduction
The purpose of this experiment is to measure the Poisson's Ratio of an aluminum beam by loading the beam
in cantilever bending. When a test specimen is subjected to uniaxial stress, the specimen not only deforms in
the direction of the stress, but also exhibits deformation of the opposite sign in the perpendicular direction.
Poisson's Ratio, by definition, is the absolute value of the ratio of lateral strain, εy , to the longitudinal strain,
ε, in a uniaxially stressed member:
Thus, Poisson's Ratio is always a positive number.
Poisson's Ratio can be measured readily with two strain gauges on a uniaxially stressed member. One gauge
is aligned in the direction of the applied stress, and the second gauge perpendicular to the first. A tensile test
specimen with a uniform stress field is commonly used for this purpose, and the gauges are mounted
adjacent to one another in the form of a "T".
Poisson's Ratio can also be measured with reasonable accuracy on a cantilever beam, even though the strain
varies linearly along the beam. In this case, the axial gauge can be mounted longitudinally on the upper
surface of the beam, and the lateral gauge mounted crosswise on the lower surface at the same section.
.
Procedure
In this experiment, an aluminum beam on which two strain gauges are mounted will be used to determine
Poisson's Ratio. It is assumed that under flexural loading the longitudinal strains at corresponding points on
the upper and lower surfaces of the beam are numerically equal, differing only in sign; and the same
assumption is made for the lateral strains. Based upon these assumptions, one strain gauge will be installed
longitudinally on the upper surface of the beam, and a second gauge lateralJy at the corresponding point on
the lower surface.
The beam will be clamped in the Flexor and loaded in bending to an arbitrary strain level. Since the stress
state in the beam is uniaxial, the lateral and longitudinal strains will be measured for calculation of Poisson's
Ratio.
Strain Gauge Selection and Installation: Strain gauges are intrinsically temperature compensated for use on a
material with a particular thermal coefficient of expansion. Because of this, the two strain gauges employed
in this experiment can be used individually in "quarter-bridge" arrangements, completing the bridge each
time with the 120 ohm precision resistor built into the Strain Indicator. For quarter-bridge operation, a
"three-wire" circuit is ordinarily used for each gauge in order to obtain compensation for temperature-
induced resistance changes in the leadwires by placing equal lengths of leadwire in adjacent arms of the
bridge circuit.
Following the gauge installation instructions, mark the desired locations and orientations of the two strain
gauges on the upper and lower surfaces of the beam. These gauges should be located near the end of the
beam which will be clamped in the Flexor (but clear of the clamp); and particular care should be taken to be
certain that the centers of the two gauge grids are precisely opposite one another. The upper gauge is aligned
along the longitudina1 centerline, with the solder tabs toward the free end of the beam. The lower gauge is
aligned crosswise, with the grid centerline on the longitudinal centerline of the beam. Bond the strain gauges
in place, following the instructions precisely. Allow the adhesive to cure for the recommended time, and then
carefully solder 6-inch (150-mm) leadwires to the gauges, remove the flux, and apply a protective coating
over both gauge installations.
Acquisition of Data: Back the calibrated loading screw out of the way, and insert the beam into the Flexor
with the gauged end in the clamp and with the longitudinal gauge on the upper surface. Center the free end of
the beam between the sides of the Flexor, and firmly clamp the beam in place with the knurled clamping
screw. The gauges will be connected (via the Flexor cable) to the strain indicator one at a time-- first, with
the beam undeflected, and again with the beam deflected. An initial "reference" reading of the strain
indicator digital readout will be obtained for each gauge with the beam undeflected, and a final reading with
the beam deflected. The differences in these two sets of readings will give the strain indicated by the
longitudinal and lateral gauges.
Connect the strain gauge leads from the beam to the binding posts of the Flexor as shown in the Wiring
Diagram.
With the loading screw clear of the beam. connect one of the two common leads (from the Flexor) to the S-
binding post of the strain indicator and the other common lead to the appropriate D post (D120 for 120-ohm
gauges or D350 for 350-ohm gauges). Connect the independent lead from the longitudinal gauge to the P+
binding post of the strain indicator. The instrument is now connected to measure strain in the longitudinal
gauge.
Plug power supply into battery jack on strain indicator. After balancing the indicator amplifier, set the gauge
factor adjustment to the value given on the strain gauge package data sheet (or on the beam. if supplied
pregauged). Set the instrument to RUN. With the Flexor loading screw still clear of the beam. adjust the
balance control of the Strain Indicator until the LCO digital readout indicates zero. The zero-beam-deflection
reading of the longitudinal gauge should be recorded on the worksheet as zero µε. Do not adjust the
balance control again during the experiment.
Turn the strain indicator off: and disconnect the Flexor cable lead for the longitudinal gauge from the P+
binding post of the strain indicator. Connect the independent lead from the lateral gauge to the P+ binding
post in preparation for indicating the lateral strain. Turn the strain indicator on (RUN) and, without making
any adjustments, record the indicator reading as the zero-beam-deflection reading for the lateral gauge.
Now deflect the beam, by rotating the loading screw clockwise a few turns (note reading at which loading
screw first causes a strain reading change and the final loading screw reading). Record the number registered
by the indicator readout. Subtract the zero-beam-deflection reading for the lateral gauge from this number to
obtain the lateral strain in the beam.
Turn off the strain indicator, disconnect the independent lateral-gauge lead from the P+ binding post, and
reconnect the longitudinal gauge to the instrument. Turn the indicator on again and record the number
registered by the indicator readout. This number is the longitudinal strain.
As a check on the stability of the system, back the Flexor loading screw away until it clears the beam. The
strain indicator readout should now read very close to zero if the system is operating normally. If the number
is more than 10 µε or so from zero, the source of the error should be located, and the experiment performed
again.
Analysis of data: Calculate the lateral and longitudinal strain by subtracting the final reading from the initial
reading for each one. Divide the lateral strain by the longitudinal strain to obtain Poisson's Ratio.
______________________________Longitudinal______________ Lateral_____________
Initial (undeflected) 0
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Final (deflected)
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Strain (Final- Initial) εx = x 10-6 εy = x 10-6
Poisson's Ratio =
MODULUS OF ELASTICITY
Introduction
The purpose of this experiment is to measure the modulus of elasticity (Young's modulus) of an aluminum
beam by loading the beam in cantilever bending. The modulus of elasticity, a fundamental constant for linear
elastic materials, is an index of the stiffness of the material.
For many metals, strain is an essentially linear function of the stress over the range of stresses normally
encountered by load-carrying members. The following graph represents a typical "stress-strain" diagram for
a metal under uniaxial stress. By definition, the slope of the linear portion of the diagram is the modulus of
elasticity. Therefore,
E = ∆σ / ∆ε
where E = the modulus of elasticity (N/m2)
σ = stress (N/m2)
ε = strain (rn/m)
Procedure
General: In this experiment, the flexural stress-strain diagram for an aluminum alloy will be obtained by
loading a beam in cantilever bending as shown in the accompanying sketch.
With the dimensions of the beam known, the stress as a function of the applied load can be calculated from
the Flexure formula:
σ = Mc/I = 6PL /bt2
where M = bending moment at gauge centerline (N-m)
c = semi-thickness of beam (m)
I = moment of inertia of beam cross section (m4)
P = load (N)
L = effective beam length (m)
b = beam width (m)
t = beam thickness (m)
The surface strain at the section of interest will be measured by a strain gauge bonded at that point. The setup
is the same used for Poisson's Ratio measurement except that here we only measure the longitudinal strain
using the strain gauge mounted on the upper surface of the beam. The load will be applied in increments, and
the corresponding strains recorded. The stresses and strains will be plotted to produce a stress-strain diagram
from which the modules of elasticity can be determined.
Acquisition of Data: Connect the top gauge leads from the Flexor cable to the S-, P+, and D-120 binding
posts of the P-3500 Strain Indicator. Measure the distance from the centerline of the strain gauge grid to the
point of load application at the free end of the beam, using an accurate scale, and enter it on the worksheet.
Measure the width and thickness of the beam with a vernier caliper or micrometer.
Using the P-3500 strain indicator manual for guidance, depress the Amp Zero button and balance the
amplifier. Then depress the Gauge Factor button and set the gauge factor (as displayed in the LCD readout)
to the value given on the strain gauge package data form. Next, depress the RUN button. With the beam
unloaded (except by its own weight and the weight of the loading hook), use the balance controls of the P-
3500 to achieve a bridge balance (as indicated by a zero in the LCD readout). Do not adjust the balance
controls again for the remainder of the experiment. Apply the calibrated load in increments. At each
increment, record the indicated Strain and corresponding load on the worksheet.
Analysis of Data: For each load increment, calculate the beam stress, using the formula. Record the load,
stress, and strain at each load level in the table provided. Graph stress and strain curve. The data points
should fall rather closely in a straight line. The line need not pass precisely through the origin of the graph.
Use the "least-squares" method of statistical analysis to establish objectively the slope (modulus of elasticity)
of the best straight line through the data points.
L = _____________ in m from point of load application to centerline of gauge
h = ______________ in m t=_____________ in m
Load (g) Load (N) Stress (N) Strain (x106)
. P σ ε
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100
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200
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300
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400
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500
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600
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700
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800
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900
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1000