Posted to News on 22nd Feb 2010, 11:54
K-OP optical strain gauges gain improved performance
HBM's improved K-OP optical strain gauges (SGs) are said to be highly suitable for more applications when compared to electrical SGs. They are, for example, suitable for material tests of new fibre composites with tests of up to 10million load cycles now possible with an alternating strain of +/-5.000um/m.
K-OP optical SGs are based on fibre Bragg gratings, which measure strain using pure optical techniques without the need for any electrical signals. This makes optical SGs suitable for use in explosive atmospheres, environments where electromagnetic interference is present, and in high-voltage applications. In addition, several optical SGs can be attached to a fibre, enabling the implementation of parallel measurements. Glass fibre lengths of several hundred metres are possible.
Using optical SGs for data acquisition and evaluation is said to be very simple with a complete range of components available for all applications from HBM. These range from optical SGs with the appropriate accessories via interrogators to HBM's data acquisition software catmanAP, which includes a special EasyOptics module for optical SGs.
Users receive a data sheet with optical strain gauges that includes the gauge factor for each individual SG as tested by HBM to meet the latest VDI/VDE 2660 requirements.
Follow the link for more information about optical strain gauges.
Millbrook Proving Ground
Station Lane
MK45 2RA
UNITED KINGDOM
+44 (0)1525 304980
