Definition of Strain

Tutorial
 Metallic Strain Gauges

Part 1. Definition of Strain

Strain is the parameter used to quantify the deformation of an object. In Figure 1B and 1C, opposing
forces are applied to each end of a rod with an original length of Lo. The applied forces will cause the
rod to deform so that

Lf = Lo + ΔL, (1)

where Lf is the length of the rod when the opposing forces are applied and

ΔL = L f − L o . (2)

Unstrained Rod Tensile Strain Compressive Strain

F Lf F Lo
F F
Lo Lo Lf
ΔL ΔL

Figure 1: Schematic drawings of a rod with no strain (A), tensile strain (B), and compressive strain (C).

The strain parameter ε is then defined as the ratio of the rod’s change in length to the rod’s original
length.

ΔL
ε≡ . (3)
Lo

When ΔL is positive, the rod is undergoing tensile strain, which is also referred to as positive strain.
When ΔL is negative, the rod is undergoing compressive strain, which is also referred to as negative
strain. Although the strain parameter is a dimensionless quantity, it is often expressed as a ratio of length
dimensions such as in/in or mm/mm. Since most rigid objects do not macroscopically compress or
stretch when subjected to forces, the magnitude of ε is usually small, and as a result, strain is typically
reported as microstrain (με = ε x 10-6).

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 Metallic Strain Gauges

Part 2. The Metallic Strain Gauge

Metallic strain gauges are one of many devices, along with piezo resistors and devices based on
interferometric techniques, that have been developed to measure microstrain. Invented by Edward E.
Simmons in 1938, the metallic strain gauge consists of a fine wire or metallic foil with an electrical
resistance (Ro) adhered to a flat rigid substrate. Ro typically varies from tens to thousands of ohms and
the substrate is often referred to as the carrier. The wire or metallic foil usually has a serpentine
conducting path in order to maximize its length parallel to the axis that strain is being measured, while
minimizing the surface area of the metallic strain gauge, see Figure 2.

Solder Tabs

Axis Along Which

Strain is Measured

Carrier

Figure 2: Schematic drawing of a metallic strain gauge

The strain gauge is then bonded to the object being measured. Any expansion or contraction of the
object along the axis of the strain gauge will also occur in the conducting path, and as a result, will cause
a proportional change in the resistance of the strain gauge. The proportionality factor, or gauge factor
(GF), for metallic strain gauges is usually two.

ΔR ΔR
R R
GF ≡ o = o , (4)
ΔL ε
Lo

where ΔR is the change in the resistance of the strain gauge when it is strained.

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 Metallic Strain Gauges

Part 3. Measuring Strain

The PZS001 actuator has an Lo of 20 mm. The full bridge strain gauge
bonded to the surface is made from four individual strain gauges, each with
a GF of two, and an Ro of 350 Ω. For a single strain gauge of the type used
in the PZS001, a 5 nm change of length in the actuator corresponds to a
strain of 2.5x10-7. As a result, the length of the actuator can only be
controlled if a change of resistance in the strain gauge equal to 1.75x10-4 Ω
can be measured.

Trying to measure the absolute resistance of the strain gauge to less than a mΩ is difficult;
however, making a precise measurement is not the only problem. Changes in the temperature of the
gauge will cause significant, on the milliohm scale, changes in the resistance of the gauge. Both of these
issues can be addressed by placing two active and two dummy strain gauges, see Figure 3, in a
Wheatstone bridge configuration as shown in Figure 4.

A passive strain gauge is oriented in order to minimize the length of conducting wire parallel to the axis
along which the strain is being measured.

Passive Strain Gauge Active Strain Gauge

Axis Along Which

Force is Applied

Figure 3: Passive strain gauge versus active strain gauge orientation

In this orientation, the passive strain gauge is unaffected by the applied strain; however, the resistance of
the strain gauge is still dependent on the temperature in the same way as the active strain gauge.

Active Gauge Passive Gauge

R1 R2

Vout Vin
Output Voltage Input Voltage

R3 R4
3DVVLYH*DXJH Active Gauge

Figure 4: Wheatstone bridge circuit with two active and two passive strain gauges

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 Metallic Strain Gauges
The Wheatstone bridge, or full bridge configuration, of strain gauges shown in Figure 4 allows for the
precise determination of the strain gauge resistance by measuring the change in the output voltage (Vout),
while a fixed input voltage (Vin) is applied to the bridge. Ideally, the bridge should be built so that R1=R3
and R2=R4, which makes the Vout equal to zero, independent of the Vin, for an unstrained object. R1, R2,
R3, and R4 are used to symbolize the unstrained resistance of each strain gauge. Since there is a passive
strain gauge in each branch of the Wheatstone bridge, the Vout will be independent of temperature, but
dependent on the strain experienced by the object. In general, the ratio of the Vout to the Vin can be
written as:

Vout R 1 + ΔR R 4 + ΔR
= − . (5)
Vin R 1 + ΔR + R 3 R 4 + ΔR + R 2

Note that if ΔR=0, no strain, then Vout=0 even if the values of R1 and R4 change due to temperature since
R2 and R3 will change by the same amount since they are dummy strain gauges. Since each branch of
the Wheatstone bridge is a voltage divider, typically, the full bridge strain gauge is built so that the
unstrained resistance of each strain gauge is equal:

Ro = R1 = R2 = R3 = R4. (6)

Replacing R1, R2, R3, and R4 in equation 5 with Ro yields:

Vout ΔR
= . (7)
Vin 2R o + ΔR

Using equation 4, ΔR in equation 7 can be replaced to create equation 8:

Vout R o G Fε G Fε
= = . (8)
Vin 2R o + R o G Fε 2 + G Fε

Solving equation 8 for ε yields:

2Vout
ε= . (9)
G F (Vin − Vout )

If the Vin is 10 volts, the Vout must be measured with microvolt precision in order to control the length of
the actuator on the nanometer scale for the PZS001.

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 Metallic Strain Gauges

Part 4. Practical Considerations When Measuring Strain

When measuring the Vout of a full bridge strain gauge on a microvolt scale, several factors must be
controlled in order to get an accurate measurement of the strain.

The Vin must be a low-noise AC or DC voltage source. Obviously, if the Vin is increased, the Vout will
increase proportionally. However, there is a practical limit to the Vin magnitude, because as that
increases, the amount of heat generated by the circuit increases as well, which can lead to temperature-
related errors. Typically a Vin of ten of volts or less is used.

Because it is difficult to build a circuit in which the resistance of each strain gauge is exactly the same,
an installed full bridge strain gauge is unlikely to have a zero output voltage reading when there is no
strain. An inequality in the resistance of the leads, which should be kept as similar as possible, to the
circuit will also create a non-zero Vout in the unstrained circuit. To compensate for small non-zero
voltages for unstrained circuits, an external offset circuit, or the APT Software System that comes with
Thorlabs’ piezo-electric drivers, can be used. Compensating for larger voltages with this software,
however, reduces the dynamic range of the measurement due to limits in the amplifier gain that can be
applied to Vout.

The strain gauge circuit should be located as close as possible to the driver, because the length of the
leads is proportional to their resistance. The resistance of the leads adds to the total resistance of the
circuit. This increases the denominator of the right side of equation 7, which reduces Vout for a given
amount of strain. The leads to the strain gauge circuit should also be kept short to minimize the effects
of transmission line noise. A low-pass filter can be added to the circuit to remove high-frequency noise
prevalent in most work environments.

The strain gauge circuit can be calibrated by monitoring the Vout for known amounts of strain, or by
simulating strain. Strain can be simulated by placing a large known resistor in parallel to each active
resistor in the full bridge strain gauge. The large resistor creates a known theoretical ΔR, used to
calculate a value for Vout that can be used to calibrate the measured Vout.

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