NationalUniversityofSingapore

DepartmentofMechanicalEngineering

TutorialSensorsandTransducers
1.

ME2143/ME2143E

ARTDisfabricatedfromplatinumexhibitstemperaturecoefficientsofresistivity
=0.003902/oCand=0.00000057/oC2.Iftheresistanceofthesensoris100at0oC,find
theresistanceat
(a)80oC
(b)150oC

Solution:

(a)
Overasmalltemperaturerangeof0to100degreeC,thelinearrelationshipholds:
R=R0(1+(TT0)).

SinceT=80oC,
R=100(1+0.003902(80))=131.216ohms.

2.

(b)
Sincethetemperaturerangeismorethan100degreeC,thenonlinearrelationshipholds:
R=R0(1+(TT0)+(TT0)2).

SinceT=150oC,
R=100(1+0.003902(150)0.00000057(1502))=157.2475ohms.

Givenaresistancewirestraingaugecomprisingofsoftironwireofsmalldiameter.The
gaugefactoris+4.2.Assumethatthepiezoresistiveeffectisnegligible.Calculatethe
Poissionsratio.

Solution:

Piezoresistiveeffectreferstothechangeinelectricityresistivityofamaterialduetoapplied
mechanicalstress.Sincetheeffectisnegligibleasperassumption,itcanbeignored.

Gaugefactor,G=1+2+/

Sincethereisnochangeinresistivity,
G=1+2=4.2
=1.6

3.

Givenastraingaugewithawireoflength0.1mandaninitialresistanceof150.Anapplied
forcecausesachangeinitslengthof0.1mmandachangeinresistanceof0.3.
(a)Assumingthattheincreaseinresistivitywithlengthislinear,calculatethegaugefactorof
thedevice.
AWheatstonebridgewithasingleactivearmisusedtomeasuretheresistancechangeof
thegauge.
(b)AssumingthatR1=R2=R3=R4,andthewireinthestraingaugeiscapableofdissipating0.2
W,determinethemaximumallowableinputvoltageundernoloadcondition.

Solution:

(a)Relationshipbetweenchangeinresistanceandstrainofastraingaugeisgivenby:
R/R=G(L/L)whereGisthegaugefactor.

Fromthegivendata,G=(0.3/150)/(0.1/100)=2.

(b)
SinceP=I2R1=0.2W,
I=sqrt(P/R1)=sqrt(0.2/150)=0.0365A.

Maximumallowableinputvoltageundernoloadcondition:
Ei=I(R1+R4)=0.0365(150+150)=10.954V

4.

Aresistancewirestraingaugewithgaugefactor=2isbondedtoasteelstructuremember
subjectedtoastressof100MN/sq.m.Modulusofelasticityofsteelis200GN/sq.m.
Calculatethepercentagechangeinvalueofthegaugeresistanceduetotheappliedstress.

Solution:
Strain==S/E=100x106/200x109=0.5x103whichcanalsobeexpressedas500
microstrain.
Gaugefactor=(R/R)/
R/R=(2)(0.5x103)=0.001
Thechangeinvalueofgaugeresistance=0.1%.
Notethataheavystressresultsinasmallchangeinresistance.Ifastraingaugewithlarge
gaugefactorisused,largerchangeinresistancecanbeobtained.Itwillbeeasierforthe
instrumenttodetectandmeasurethechange.