SOLID MECHANICS LAB LAB-REPORT NO.

4 BATCH - E

ANIL KUMAR CHEJARA ROLL NO. 09003022

STRAIN MEASUREMENT
OBJECTIVE: Calculate stress, strain and strain gauge output theoretically and verify these values with meter output readings of strain gauge meter.

APPRATUS: strain gauge meter.

INTRODUCTION: STRAIN: Strain is the amount of deformation of a body due to an applied force. More specifically, strain 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.

STRAIN GAUGE: A strain gauge is a device whose electrical resistance varies in proportion to the amount of strain in the device. The most widely used gauge, however, is the bonded metallic strain gauge. The metallic strain gauge consists of a very fine wire or, more commonly, metallic foil arranged in a grid pattern. The grid pattern maximizes the amount of metallic wire or foil subject to strain in the parallel direction. The cross sectional area of the grid is minimized to reduce the effect of shear strain and Poisson Strain. The grid is bonded to a thin backing, called the carrier, which is attached directly to the test specimen. Therefore, the strain experienced by the test specimen is transferred directly to the strain gauge, which responds with a linear change in electrical resistance. Strain gauges are available commercially with nominal resistance values from 30 to 3000 W, with 120, 350, and 1000 W being the most common values.

A fundamental parameter of the strain gauge is its sensitivity to strain, expressed quantitatively as the gauge factor (GF). Gauge factor is defined as the ratio of fractional change in electrical resistance to the fractional change in length (strain):

Wheatstone Bridge

Specimen: The experiment was done on a cantilever beam of mild steel, with strain gauges attached on it. Following are the dimensions of the specimen: 1) 2) 3) 4) Length (L): 17.8 cm Thickness (D): 0.92cm Width (B): 3.86 cm Effective length(l):15.5 cm

OBSEVARATION: Effective length, l= 15.5 cm

Serial No.

Weight(Load) in Kg

Voltmeter Reading (Ascending Order) in millivolts, E1 67 130 199 268 331 398

Voltmeter Reading (descending Order) in millivolts, E2 71 130 200 263 332 -

Average value of the voltmeter reading in millivolts,

1 2 3 4 5 6

0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0

69.0 130.0 199.5 265.5 331.5 398.0

CALCULATIONS: Stress where, Strain, m3

Bending Serial Moment(M) no. In Kgcm 1 2 3 4 5 6 7.750 15.500 23.250 31.000 38.750 46.500

Stress, in kg/cm2 14.233 28.466 42.700 56.933 71.166 85.399

Strain, (10-6) 7.117 14.233 21.350 28.466 35.583 42.700

R/R (10-6) 14.233 28.466 42.700 56.933 71.166 85.399

Eout Eout (Theoretical) (Experimental) in V in V 71.166 142.332 213.499 284.665 355.831 426.997 69.000 130.000 199.500 265.500 331.500 398.000

True error (%) 3.044 8.665 6.557 6.732 6.838 6.791

Results: Load (in kgs) 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 Eout (Experimental) in V 69.000 130.000 199.500 265.500 331.500 398.000 True error (%) 3.044 8.665 6.557 6.732 6.838 6.791

Serial no. 1 2 3 4 5 6

DISCUSSION: The number of active strain gages that should be connected to the bridge depends on the application. For example, it may be useful to connect gages that are on opposite sides of a beam, one in compression and the other in tension. In installations where all of the arms are connected to strain gages, temperature compensation is automatic, as resistance change due to temperature variations will be the same for all arms of the bridge.

As temperature changes, the gauge factor decreases. For the experimental conditions gauge factor was taken as 2 from the standards. Temperature effects on the lead wires can be cancelled by using a "3-wire bridge" or a "4-wire Ohm circuit". As the instrument is very sensitive to small changes in strain in the material being tested, the test should be done carefully in a controlled manner.

CONCULSION: The Eout values measured experimentally were very close to the theoretical values, with an acceptable error of 3-6%. Thus, strain gauges provide an easy and efficient way of measuring small strains in materials.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) www.google.com Lab sheet www.wikipedia.com www.efunda.com Text book