MECH 220 MECHANICAL ENGINEERING LABORATORY I

Experiment D
Strain Measurement
OBJECTIVE
The objective of the experiment is to learn the fundamentals of measuring with strain
gages and also strain gage types and their application techniques. Calculation of the
mechanical deformations under tension, bending and torsion will be conducted. Also, the
relation between mechanical strain and electrical resistance in a strain gage will be examined.
THEORY
Stress analysis involves a determination of the stress distribution in materials of
various shapes and under different loading conditions. Experimental stress analysis is
performed by measuring the deformation of the material under load and inferring from this
measurement the local stress occurs.
The electrical resistance strain gage is the most widely used device for strain
measurement. Strain gages permit simple and reliable determination of stress and strain
distribution at real components under load. The strain gage technique is thus an indispensable
part of an experimental setup. Wide spread use of these devices is also consist of scales,
dynamometers, pressure sensors and torque meter.
Strain gages operate on the principle that the electrical resistance of a conductor
changes when it is subjected to mechanical deformation. This deformation is indicated
through a measurement of the change in resistance of the element. Thus, a strain gage cannot
measure stress directly; it senses the deformations on the surface of structural parts. Since
stresses are related to deformations through Hookes law, results of a strain measurement
can be used to predict the stresses in a specimen.
The strain gage should be mounted on the surface of the specimen of which the stress
shall be determined. Normally, special bonding agents or glues are used for this purpose.
The electrical resistance strain gage in the basic form known today was first used in
1938. The discovery of the principle was made in 1856 by Lord Kelvin. He also employed the
Wheatstone bridge technique to measure the resistance change.
The Wheatstone bridge circuit can be used for both static and dynamic strain gage
applications. General form of the bridge is shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1. Wheatstone bridge circuit.

There are four cases where different configurations of Wheatstone bridge apply which
are Quarter bridge (one active gage), Half bridge (one active and one dummy gage), Half
bridge (two active gages) and full bridge (four active gages). In this experiment, full bridge
circuit with four active gages will be used. The configuration of the gages differs for tension,
bending and torque setup.
The ratio of change in resistance to strain is designated as which is also known as
Strain gage constant.
/0
=

Strain gages with a large factor are more sensitive than those with a small factor.
The gage factor of a gage should be given by the manufacturer.
EXPERIMENTATION
Test Set-up
The experimental setup is composed of three units for three sets of experiments.
Using strain gages, which are mounted, configured and ready to use for all units,
measurement of
a) tension or compression which is the simplest form of loading in the first unit,
b) bending in the second unit,
c) torsion in the third unit.
Figure 2 shows a picture of the experimental setup.

Figure 2. Picture of the experimental setup.

Table 1 shows some important parameters of the test set-up that are needed in the analysis.
Table 1. Some parameters about the test set-up.
Value
2.05

Parameter
Gage factor
Tension Bar
Cross section
Strain gage element
Material
Modulus of elasticity,
Poissons ratio,
Bending Beam
Length
Cross section
Section modulus
Modulus of elasticity
Torsion Bar
Length
Diameter
Section modulus
Shear modulus

2 10 2
Full bridge
Steel Cr Ni 18.8
191,000 /2
0.305
385
4.74 19.75 2
74.26 3
210,000 /2
500
10
196.3 3
80,000 /2

Tensile Experiment
Tensile stress is calculated from tensile force (normal force) and cross sectional
area as,

According to Hookes law stress and strain are linked to one another by way of the
modulus of elasticity .
=

For experimental determination of the tensile stress, two strain gages each are fitted
to the front and back of the specimen; one strain gage is attached in longitudinal, the other
in transverse direction as shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3. Configuration of strain gages in tensile experiment.

The output signal of the measuring bridge is referenced to the feed voltage . The
sensitivity of the strain gage enables the strain to be calculated for the full bridge as
follows,
1
4
=

2(1 + )
Procedure
Follow the instructors step by step.
1. Fit the tension bar in the frame as shown in Figure 4 by using the holder with hook
2. Connect and switch on the measurement instrument.
3. Use offset adjuster to balance display.
4. Load bar with the set of weights supplied during the experiment.
5. Note down all the readings from the display to the data sheet.

Figure 4. Schematic of the tensile experiment setup.

4

Because of weak stresses, readings are very small. Therefore, zero balancing is to be
performed with extreme care.
Bending Experiment
The stress at the surface of the bending beam can be calculated from the bending
moment and the section modulus as,

The section modulus for the rectangular cross section of width and height is given
as,
=

2
6

For experimental determination of the bending stress, the bending beam is provided
with two strain gages each on the compression and tension sides as shown in Figure 5.

Figure 5. Configuration of strain gages in bending experiment.

The sensitivity of the strain gage enables the strain to be calculated for the full
bridge as follows,
1
=

According to Hookes law, the stress being sought is obtained with the modulus of
elasticity ,
=
Procedure
Follow the instructors step by step.
1. Fit the bending bar in the frame as shown in Figure 6 by using the holder with two
pins.
5

2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Connect and switch on the measurement instrument.

Measure the distance of the slider to the strain gages.
Use offset adjuster to balance display.
Load beam with the set of weights supplied during the experiment.
Note down all the readings from the display to the data sheet.

Figure 6. Schematic of the bending experiment setup.

Torsion Experiment
Strain gages can also be used in measuring torsional moments. In this application the
torque in the shaft will be calculated from the shear stress measured. For experimental
determination of the torsional stress, the torsion bar is provided with four strain gages at an
angle of 45o. The strain gages are thus located in the direction of the principal normal stresses
and hence the maximum strain as shown in Figure 7.

Figure 7. Configuration of strain gages in torsion experiment.

The strain can be calculated as follows,

Whereas pure shear stress the relationship between strain and shear is,
= 2
According to Hooks law, the shear stress being sought is obtained with the shear
modulus as,
= = 2
The relationship between shear stress at the surface of the bar and torsional moment
is given as,
=
where is the section modulus of torsion bar for the circular cross section,
=

3
16

The torsional moment can be calculated from,

=

Procedure
Follow the instructors step by step.
1. Fit the torsion bar in the frame as shown in Figure 8. In doing so, place clamping end
on upper pin of holder with two pins. Support loose end of the bar with other holder.
Use the water gage to make sure the bar is horizontally aligned.
2. Connect and switch on the measurement instrument.
3. Use offset adjuster to balance display.
4. Suspend set of weights supplied during the experiment from lever arm and generate
torsional moment.
5. Note down all the readings from the display to the data sheet.

Figure 8. Schematic of the torsion experiment setup.

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Analysis
For the first unit (tensile experiment), calculate the stress from measured strain for all
readings and compare these values with the theoretical correspondence. Find the percentage
deviation between these values.
For the second unit (bending experiment), calculate the stress for all readings and
compare these values with the theoretical correspondence. Find the percentage deviation
between these values.
For the third unit (torsion experiment), calculate the stress from measured strain all
readings and compare this value with the theoretical correspondence. Find the percentage
deviation between these values.
Plot load versus mV/V readings for all experiment units and check if Hookes law is
satisfied or not and also state weather the deformation is elastic or plastic.
CAUTION!
The experiment will be conducted in the Heat Transfer Laboratory in the Lab Building.
You will have only 40 minutes to complete the experiment.

Name:

Group No:

Date:

MECH 220 MECHANICAL ENGINEERING LABORATORY I

EXPERIMENT D
STRAIN MEASUREMENT Data Sheet
Table 2. Data obtained from tensile experiment.

Tensile
Load

Reading

Bending
Load

Reading

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14

Torsion
Load

Reading