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Old 20th Nov 2012, 01:29
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fdr
 
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: 3rd Rock, #29B
Posts: 2,956
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strain gauge calibration...

the strain sensor reads strain, temperature effects and poisson ratio as a single output... so your configuration is important to know before saying anything of note. 1/4, 1/2, full bridge, temp compensated, etc.

For a single axis 1/4br strain sensor, a triple wire connection nominally gets rid of temperature affects at least in the leads. The sensor element will have the temperature/strain and gauge values as well as the resistance of the element. The temp curve is pretty much a 2nd order polynomial, and more or less a straight line for small temperature ranges.

Frequency response is not simple, and if measuring strain on a rotating component or one subject to oscillatory loads, then the freq response of the sensor/DAU is necessary. We use a variable speed motor acting on an arm that has a fixed deflection. The outcome is a 5th order polynomial, with an initial linear response becoming constrained at higher frequencies, and then stabilising as a linear response. The curve is sample rate dependent, and is not an artefact of sampling frequency, but a limitation of the DAU, which is supposed to exhibit linear response. I would be wanting to have at least an order of magnitude between freq of interest and sampling freq, particularly if looking at an FFT of the signal.

On temperature, while it is more or less true that the triple lead or full bridge compensates for temp, that is not completely true, if the local flow over the full bridge sensors are not insulated from the boundary layer, and they are attached to a foil with circulation... in such a case, you are also measuring to an extent the pressure differential and therefore temperature differential (Charles, Gay-Lussac).

cheers
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