MANUAL

EXPERIMENT NO:-6

STUDY OF WEIGHT MEASUREMENT

USING STRAIN GAUGE
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TRANSDUCER AND INSTRUMENTATION

VIRTUAL LAB

Experiment No:-6
Aim: - Study of Weight Measurement is using Strain Gauge.
To calculate the Voltage Output.
Calibrate the Weight on the Strain Gauge.
Apparatus Requirement: 1. Personal computer
2. Lab view 2009 Runtime engine
3. Internet facility (for online experiment)
For off-line experiment, executable file of the experiment can be downloaded through
the download link given on the website.
Theory: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, as shown in Figure 1 below.

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 (), which
is 106.

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):

(1)
or

GF= 1+2v,

(2)

Where, v is Poissons Ratio

The Gauge Factor for metallic strain gauges is typically around 2.
Strain

= E
Where,

= Strain
E = Youngs Modulus

= Stress
For a cantilever beam with a point load at its end,
M \I = / y

(4)

where,
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.

Is power applied in the test specimen, M*g where M is Mass & g is gravitational force.

is the moment of inertia I = bt3/12 about the neutral axis of bending, where b = beam
width, t = beam thickness

is the value of stress at a point which is at a distance of

from the neutral axis and y = t / 2 because the strain gage is fixed to the surface of the
beam.

Finally, the formula for strain is:

6*P*x
E * b* t2

(5)

6* m * g * x
b *t2 * E

(6)

Replace P=M*g in Equation (4)

Where,
E=Youngs Modulus

= Stress
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 is
fixed
To measure such small changes in resistance, and compensate for the temperature sensitivity
discussed in the previous section, strain gauges are almost always used in a bridge
configuration with a voltage or current excitation source. The general Wheatstone bridge,
illustrated below, consists of four resistive arms with an excitation voltage, VEX, that is
applied across the bridge.

The output voltage of the bridge, VO, will be equal to:

(7)
From this equation, it is apparent that when R1/R2 = RG1/RG2, the voltage output VO will
be zero. Under these conditions, the bridge is said to be balanced. Any change in resistance in
any arm of the bridge will result in a nonzero output voltage.
Therefore, if we replace R4 in Figure 3 with an active strain gauge, any changes in the strain
gauge resistance will unbalance the bridge and produce a nonzero output voltage. If the
nominal resistance of the strain gauge is designated as RG, then the strain-induced change in
resistance, R, can be expressed as R = RGGF. Assuming that R1 = R2 and R3 = RG,
the bridge equation above can be rewritten to express VO/VEX as a function of strain (see
Figure 4). Note the presence of the 1/(1+GF/2) term that indicates the nonlinearity of the
quarter-bridge output with respect to strain.

(8)
By using two strain gauges in the bridge, the effect of temperature can be avoided. A strain
gauge configuration where one gauge is active (RG + R), and a second gauge is placed
transverse to the applied strain. Therefore, the strain has little effect on the second gauge,
called the dummy gauge. However, any changes in temperature will affect both gauges in the
same way. Because the temperature changes are identical in the two gauges, the ratio of their
resistance does not change, the voltage VO does not change, and the effects of the
temperature change are minimized.

Now we calibrate the weight using equation (5) & equation (7), so get the weight of the
hanger (WH) and convert it into Newtons (SI unit).

2* E * b * t 2
WH
3(VEX Vo )* GF * g * x

(9)

Add the standard weights (W) to the hanger and hang it from the free end of the beam.
So the total Force on the strain gauge is
P=W+WH

(10)

The Percentage error of Weight is Actual Weight & Measured Weight.

Percentage Error (%) = (Measured Weight- Actual Weight)*100
Appendix:Gauge factor, Youngs Modulus & Poissons Ratio for some Common Materials

Material

Gauge Factor

Youngs

Poisson's

modulus

Ratio

Aluminium

1.668

69(GPa)

0.334

Copper

1.71

123

0.355

Steel

1.53

204

0.265

Magnesium

1.70

109

0.35

Bronzes

1.68

123

0.34

Observations Table:-

Serial
Number

Actual

Strain

Weight [Kg]

Result:Graph between Measured Weight Vs Strain

Precaution: 1. Follow instructions carefully.

2. Runtime engine should be properly installed.
3. Reading should be correctly taken.

Measured

Percentage

Weight [Kg]

Error()%