19EE301

Measurements & Instrumentation

Systems

by
Sakthisudhursun B.
Assistant Professor

Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering,

Mepco Schlenk Engineering College
Sivakasi
 Bridges

 Bridge circuits are the instruments widely used to measure

resistance, inductance, capacitance and impedance.

 Bridge circuits operate on a null-indication principle, the

indication is independent of the calibration of the indicating
device or any characteristics of it.

 Hence it is very accurate.

 Classification:

 AC bridge

 DC bridge
 Unit-III
Part-1:Resistance
Measurement using DC bridge
 Resistance Measurement
From the measurement perspective the resistance are
classified as follows:
• Low Resistance
• Medium Resistance
• High Resistance

Range Examples
Resistance of armature
Low Resistance
< 1Ω winding, series field winding,
ammeter shunts, contacts

Medium 1Ω-100kΩ Rheostats Used in lab,

Resistance Electronic circuits

High Resistance >100kΩ Insulation resistance

 Medium Resistance Measurement

Medium resistance can be measured by one of the following

methods:
• Ohmmeter Method
• Wheatstone Bridge Method
• Voltmeter-Ammeter Method
• Substitution Method
Wheatstone Bridge

I3

I4
 Wheatstone Bridge
 When the bridge is balanced there is no current flows through
galvanometer

 Hence if we apply KCL the following equations are arrived

I1  I 3 I2  I4
 Write down voltage balance equations.

I1 P  I 2 R I 3Q  I 4 S
 Simplify the above expression

P
RS
Q
Wheatstone Bridge under unbalance
condition

I2

I1

I3
I4
Wheatstone Bridge under unbalance
condition

VBD  VAB  VAD

 I1 R1  I 3 R3
V V
I1  and I 3 
R1  R2 R3  R4
 R1 R3 
VBD  VTH  V   
 R1  R2 R3  R4 
Wheatstone Bridge under unbalance
condition
 Errors in Wheatstone bridge

 Limiting error of three resistances (P, Q and S) can cause the

error in measurement..

 The thermal EMF cause serious trouble in the measurement of

low-value resistance.

 Contact and Lead resistance

 Self-heating of resistors due to I2R loss in resistor

 Inaccuracy of balance point due to insufficient sensitivity of

galvanometer
 Factors affecting the Upper and Lower limit of
measurement resistance in Wheatstone bridge

Upper Limit:
Due to reduction in sensitivity to unbalance. It is caused
by low current through the galvanometer when high resistance
is used
Lower Limit:
Depends on the contact and lead resistances
Kelvin’s Double Bridge
Kelvin’s Double Bridge
 Kelvin’s Double Bridge

E amd  E am  E md

E am  IR

E md  I x  p
 r  E amd  E am  E md
I x  I 
 pqr  pr 
 I R  
 pr   pqr
E md  I 
 pqr
 Kelvin’s Double Bridge

Prp  q   pr 
PR  PS   P  Q  R  
pqr  pqr

 PR  QR 
P  Q  pr
pqr
 Kelvin’s Double Bridge

Prp  q  P  Q  pr
PR  PS  PR   QR 
pqr pqr
Prp  q  P  Q  pr
PS    QR
pqr pqr
1 Prp  q  P  Q  pr 
R   PS   
Q pqr pqr 
 Kelvin’s Double Bridge

1 Ppr  Pqr Ppr  Qpr 

R   PS   
Q pqr pqr 
1 Ppr  Pqr - Ppr - Qpr 
R   PS  
Q pqr 
P  1  Pqr - Qpr  
R  S     
Q  Q  p  q  r 
P  1  Pqr - Qpr  
R  S     
Q pqr Q 
 Kelvin’s Double Bridge

P  qr  P p  
R  S      
Q  p  q  r  Q q 

The resistance of connecting leads has no effect on measurement if

ratio of inner arm and outer arm are same
 AC Bridges
 AC Bridges is similar to DC bridge (Wheatstone
Bridge) but has some differences

 Differences are source of excitation and null detector

 AC bridges are used for measurement of inductance,

capacitance, mutual inductance, dissipation factor, Iron
loss measurement, Q-factor inductor
Detectors used in AC Bridge

Detector Frequency Range

Head phone Up to 3 to 4 kHz

Vibration 5Hz to 1000Hz. But generally

Galvanometer employed below 200Hz

Tuneable
10Hz to 100kHz
amplifier
AC Bridges
Conditions for the bridge balance is no current
through the detector.
Hence at balance condition potential difference
between points ‘b’ and ‘d’ (VBD) should be
zero.
If VBD is zero then VAB must be equal to VAD
In complex notation we can, thus, write
AC Bridge Balance condition
 AC Bridge Balance condition
Z1  R1  jX1
Z2  R 2  jX 2
Z3  R 3  jX 3
Z4  R 4  jX 4
Z1Z4  Z2 Z3
R1  jX1   R 4  jX 4   R 2  jX 2   R 3  jX3 
R1R 4  X1X 4  j R1X 4  R 4 X1   R 2 R 3  X 2 X 3  j R 2 X 3  R 3X 2 

Equating Real Part, R1R 4  X1X 4  R 2 R 3  X 2 X 3

Equating Imaginary Part,

R1X 4  R 4 X1  R 2 X 3  R 3X 2
What will happen if Source and Detector are
interchanged in AC Bridges
Schering Bridge
Wein Bridge