Three Direction Strain Gauge for PCB Stress Test

• Type: Strain Gauge
• Measurement Object: Force
• Test Methods: Indicator Method
• Shipping Cost: Estimated freight per unit.: about shipping cost and estimated delivery time.
• Currency: US$
• Return&refunds: You can apply for a refund up to 30 days after receipt of the products.
• Model NO.: CA
• Material: Foil
• Precision Gauge: Precision Gauge
• Certification: ISO, RoHS
• Usage: For Working
• Shape: Small Piece
• Customized: Customized
• Aplication: Force Sensor
• Grid Material: Karma Foil
• Girds: 3
• Resistance: 120ohms, 350ohms
• Transport Package: Carton Box
• Specification: CE, ROHS, OIML
• Trademark: QYE
• Origin: China
• HS Code: 8423900000
• Production Capacity: 100000PCS/ Year
• Package Size: 15.00cm * 8.00cm * 0.50cm
• Package Gross Weight: 0.200kg

Product Description

Three Directions Strain gauge for PCB Stress Test
Name Rules:

MODEL	GRID DIM		BACKING DIM		CREEP
	L (mm)	W (mm)	L (mm)	W (mm)
BF120-3AA(**)	2.8	2	6.4	3.5	N8,N6,N3,N1,N0
BF240-3AA(**)	3.2	3.06	7.4	4.5	N8
BF(BA)300-3AA(**)	2.9	1.8	5.5	2.5
BF(BA)350-1AA(**)	1.5	2.5	4.5	3.5	N3,N0,N8,N6,N4,
					N2,T0,T2,T4,T6,T8
BF(BA)350-2AA-A(**)	2.4	3	5	4
ZF350-2AA(**)	1.9	2.8	5.6	4	T6,T4,T0,
					N8,N6,N4,N1,N0
BF(BA)350-2AA-P(**)	2	2.4	5	3.5	N0,N2,
					T0,T2,T4,T6,T8
BF(BA)350-2AA(**)	2.5	3.3	6.5	4.5	N9,N7,N5,N3,N1,N0,
ZF1000-2AA(**)					N8,N6,N4,N2,T0,
					T2,T4,T6,T8,T1
ZF1000-3AA-B(**)	3	3.1	14.2	4.5	N7,N6,N5,
ZF350-3AA-B(**)					N3,N2,N1,N0
					T8,T4,T3,T2
BF350-3AA-A(**)	3.2	1.6	6.9	3	N8,N6
BF(BA)350-3AA(**)	3.2	3.1	7.5	4.5	N9,N7,N5,N3,
					N1,N0,N8,N6,N4,
					N2,T0,T2,T4,T6,
					T8,T1,T3,T5
ZF350-3AA(**)	3.2	3.2	7.5	4.5	N0,N8,N6,N4,N2
ZF1000-3AA(**)	3.1	2.6	7.5	4	T4,T0,
					N6,N5,N4,N3,N1,N0
BF(BA)350-4AA(**)	3.8	2.7	8.2	4.2	N9,N7,N5,N3,
ZF1000-4AA(**)					N1,N0,N8,6,N4,N2,
					T0,T2,T4,T6,T8
BF(BA)350-5AA(**)	5	2.9	9.2	4.5
ZF1000-5AA(**)
ZF1000-1.5AA(**)	1.5	4	5	5.2	T8
ZF1000-1.5AA-A(**)	1.5	2.5	4.5	3	T8
BF1000-2AA(**)	2.2	4.6	5.8	5.8	N0,N6,T6,T8
ZF1000-2AA-A(**)	2.1	3.3	5.8	4.5	T8
BF(BA)1000-3AA(**)	3	5.3	6.8	6.5	N3,N1,N8,N6,N4,
BF(BA)1000-4AA(**)	4	4.3	7.8	5.5	T0,T2,T6
BF(BA)1000-6AA(**)	6	4	10	5.5

If a strip of conductive metal is stretched, it will become skinnier and longer, both changes resulting in an increase of electrical resistance end-to-end. Conversely, if a strip of conductive metal is placed under compressive force (without buckling), it will broaden and shorten. If these stresses are kept within the elastic limit of the metal strip (so that the strip does not permanently deform), the strip can be used as a measuring element for physical force, the amount of applied force inferred from measuring its resistance.

Such a device is called a strain gauge. Strain gauges are frequently used in mechanical engineering research and development to measure the stresses generated by machinery. Aircraft component testing is one area of application, tiny strain-gauge strips glued to structural members, linkages, and any other critical component of an airframe to measure stress. Most strain gauges are smaller than a postage stamp, and they look something like this:


A strain gauge's conductors are very thin: if made of round wire, about 1/1000 inch in diameter. Alternatively, strain gauge conductors may be thin strips of metallic film deposited on a nonconducting substrate material called the carrier. The latter form of strain gauge is represented in the previous illustration. The name "bonded gauge" is given to strain gauges that are glued to a larger structure under stress (called the test specimen). The task of bonding strain gauges to test specimens may appear to be very simple, but it is not. "Gauging" is a craft in its own right, absolutely essential for obtaining accurate, stable strain measurements. It is also possible to use an unmounted gauge wire stretched between two mechanical points to measure tension, but this technique has its limitations.

Typical strain gauge resistances range from 30 Ω to 3 kΩ (unstressed). This resistance may change only a fraction of a percent for the full force range of the gauge, given the limitations imposed by the elastic limits of the gauge material and of the test specimen. Forces great enough to induce greater resistance changes would permanently deform the test specimen and/or the gauge conductors themselves, thus ruining the gauge as a measurement device. Thus, in order to use the strain gauge as a practical instrument, we must measure extremely small changes in resistance with high accuracy.

Such demanding precision calls for a bridge measurement circuit. Unlike the Wheatstone bridge shown in the last chapter using a null-balance detector and a human operator to maintain a state of balance, a strain gauge bridge circuit indicates measured strain by the degree of imbalance, and uses a precision voltmeter in the center of the bridge to provide an accurate measurement of that imbalance:


Typically, the rheostat arm of the bridge (R2 in the diagram) is set at a value equal to the strain gauge resistance with no force applied. The two ratio arms of the bridge (R1 and R3) are set equal to each other. Thus, with no force applied to the strain gauge, the bridge will be symmetrically balanced and the voltmeter will indicate zero volts, representing zero force on the strain gauge. As the strain gauge is either compressed or tensed, its resistance will decrease or increase, respectively, thus unbalancing the bridge and producing an indication at the voltmeter. This arrangement, with a single element of the bridge changing resistance in response to the measured variable (mechanical force), is known as a quarter-bridge circuit.

As the distance between the strain gauge and the three other resistances in the bridge circuit may be substantial, wire resistance has a significant impact on the operation of the circuit. To illustrate the effects of wire resistance, I'll show the same schematic diagram, but add two resistor symbols in series with the strain gauge to represent the wires:


The strain gauge's resistance (Rgauge) is not the only resistance being measured: the wire resistances Rwire1 and Rwire2, being in series with Rgauge, also contribute to the resistance of the lower half of the rheostat arm of the bridge, and consequently contribute to the voltmeter's indication. This, of course, will be falsely interpreted by the meter as physical strain on the gauge.

While this effect cannot be completely eliminated in this configuration, it can be minimized with the addition of a third wire, connecting the right side of the voltmeter directly to the upper wire of the strain gauge:


Because the third wire carries practically no current (due to the voltmeter's extremely high internal resistance), its resistance will not drop any substantial amount of voltage. Notice how the resistance of the top wire (Rwire1) has been "bypassed" now that the voltmeter connects directly to the top terminal of the strain gauge, leaving only the lower wire's resistance (Rwire2) to contribute any stray resistance in series with the gauge. Not a perfect solution, of course, but twice as good as the last circuit!

There is a way, however, to reduce wire resistance error far beyond the method just described, and also help mitigate another kind of measurement error due to temperature. An unfortunate characteristic of strain gauges is that of resistance change with changes in temperature. This is a property common to all conductors, some more than others. Thus, our quarter-bridge circuit as shown (either with two or with three wires connecting the gauge to the bridge) works as a thermometer just as well as it does a strain indicator. If all we want to do is measure strain, this is not good. We can transcend this problem, however, by using a "dummy" strain gauge in place of R2, so that both elements of the rheostat arm will change resistance in the same proportion when temperature changes, thus canceling the effects of temperature change:


Resistors R1 and R3 are of equal resistance value, and the strain gauges are identical to one another. With no applied force, the bridge should be in a perfectly balanced condition and the voltmeter should register 0 volts. Both gauges are bonded to the same test specimen, but only one is placed in a position and orientation so as to be exposed to physical strain (the active gauge). The other gauge is isolated from all mechanical stress, and acts merely as a temperature compensation device (the "dummy" gauge). If the temperature changes, both gauge resistances will change by the same percentage, and the bridge's state of balance will remain unaffected. Only a differential resistance (difference of resistance between the two strain gauges) produced by physical force on the test specimen can alter the balance of the bridge.

Wire resistance doesn't impact the accuracy of the circuit as much as before, because the wires connecting both strain gauges to the bridge are approximately equal length. Therefore, the upper and lower sections of the bridge's rheostat arm contain approximately the same amount of stray resistance, and their effects tend to cancel:

Even though there are now two strain gauges in the bridge circuit, only one is responsive to mechanical strain, and thus we would still refer to this arrangement as a quarter-bridge. However, if we were to take the upper strain gauge and position it so that it is exposed to the opposite force as the lower gauge (i.e. when the upper gauge is compressed, the lower gauge will be stretched, and vice versa), we will have both gauges responding to strain, and the bridge will be more responsive to applied force. This utilization is known as a half-bridge. Since both strain gauges will either increase or decrease resistance by the same proportion in response to changes in temperature, the effects of temperature change remain canceled and the circuit will suffer minimal temperature-induced measurement error:

Han Zhong Quan Yuan Electronic Co., LTD. is a professional high-tech enterprises committed to the research, development, design and manufacture and sale of load cell, high precision resistance strain gauge, sensor, fittings for electronic weighing apparatus and automatic control system with QuanYuan brand. 
    QuanYuan are certified according to ISO 9001:2000 and produce strictly in accordance withR60 recommendation of international Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML).
    All electronic products are with good performance and high-level quality, which are widely used in electronic weighing apparatus, metallurgy, construction machinery, chemical and other industries. The products are not only sold very well in domestic, but also welcomed in Europe, America, Southeast Asia and other main countries in abroad. QuanYuan win high praise and good reputation from users in domestic and abroad. The production and sales are growing up year by year in successively. 
    In order to better satisfy the demand of international market, QuanYuan is going to expand production scale and invest in the construction of new production base, with an area of nearly 15,000 square meters, which is expected to be fully put into production in 2012.
    Sincerely welcome the cooperation and guidance from new and old customers in worldwide.