Comparison and characterization of a typical strain gage trace against another using the printed method

The measuring of deformation of a strain gage is quite diverse, requiring expertise in areas like mechanical engineering, metrology, design, materials, as well as knowledge of electronic circuits, in order to use them properly. A strain gage can help determine the mechanical properties of a material, which can be obtained in two ways, the first would be by destructive tests where the rupture of the material is reached, i.e., until its destruction. The second method would be by means of nondestructive testing used to determine physical properties of the material, as well as to detect any internal failure. The focus of this paper refers only to destructive mechanical testing, among which are: bending, and traction. The selection of the types of tests chosen based on the type of application form can have a sensor, which is why our study. One of the important factors to consider is the amount of specimen and their dimensions. It was chosen a model of a conventional strain gage and later its trace was reproduced by the printed electronics method. With this we intend to study and compare a strain gage conventional with a trace printed, with the same geometry, but with different materials and processes. Traces of 25,4 mm are printed in two layers and a width of 150 ¿m in a specimen of polyimide 100 × 25. The traces will have the same dimensions as a conventional trace of strain gages. We show if factor sensitivity K changes with one or two layers silver traces. Defined the number of layers in the study we proceed to perform spectroscopic tests to identify if there is any damage in the trace. Established the trace, testing are accomplished in traction, bending and twisting with support of the equipment B1500A (Semiconductors Device Analyzer), for measuring electrical resistance of the material.