| The pace of advances in strain gage technology have given rise to an information gap, whereby details of the technology are scattered over widespread sources. In addition, there is a dearth of overviews on what kinds of transducers are available. As a result, it is difficult for most users to intelligently apply the proper instruments. This thesis helps the user fill the information gap in the domain of strain gages. The immediate set of users to whom the thesis is addressed includes researchers in the Engineering Laboratory Center (ELC) at the University of Nevada, Reno.; The research starts with an extensive market search of the available instrumentation for strain analysis. For the experimental part, a civil engineering structure is designed to provide data which is used to determine the effects of various parameters on the gage data. Some of the parameters studied are; the efficiency of 3-wire connection as compared to 2-wire connection, the effects of electrostatic and electromagnetic noise, and the effects of using shielded and twisted wires in various test environments. Another important outcome of the research is to come up with consumer reports about the Direct Burial Embedment Gage which is manufactured by Micro-Measurements Group, and the Magnesite Ribbon Sensor which has been invented and manufactured by Strain Monitor Systems, Inc. Samples of these state-of-the art gages are donated by these companies allowing us to compare these with the conventional strain gages. The beam is designed, built, and tested three times to achieve the above goals. The results of the three tests have been very successful and have lead to the important discussions presented as the conclusion of the research. |
