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Measurement of Solid-Mechanical
Quantities (Chapter 8)
• Measuring Strain • Measuring Accepleration and Vibaration
• Measuring Displacement • Measuring Force
• Measuring Linear Velocity
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Lecture 18 Lecture Notes on MECH 373 – Instrumentation and Measurements 14
Measuring Displacement
• Potentiometers are very common devices used to measure displacement. A linear
potentiometer is used for linear measurements and an angular potentiometer is used for
angular measurements.
• The linear potentiometer is a device in which the resistance varies as a function
of the position of a slider, shown below.
• With the supply voltage (Vs), the output voltage (Vo) will vary between zero and the
supply voltage.
• For linear potentiometer, the output is a simple linear function of the slider position. That
is x
Vo = Vs
L
Lecture 18 Lecture Notes on MECH 373 – Instrumentation and Measurements 15
Measuring Displacement
• It should be noted that the device measuring Vo must have a high impedance to
maintain a linear response and avoid loading error.
• Linear potentiometers can be used to measure displacements as small as 0.1 to 0.2 in.
(2.5 to 5 mm) up to displacements of more than 1 ft.
Lecture 18 Lecture Notes on MECH 373 – Instrumentation and Measurements 16
Measuring Strain (Strain Gages)
• The electrical resistance strain gage is an extremely common device used to
measure strain in structures and also as a sensing element in a wide variety of
transducers, including those used to measure force, acceleration and pressure.
• Electrical-resistance strain gages and associated signal conditioners are simple,
inexpensive and quite reliable.
• To understand the function of a strain gage, consider the measurement of strain
in a simple structure shown below.