Test & Measurement

Our Expertise, Your Solution

Micro-Measurements’ comprehensive portfolio of cutting-edge strain gages, hybrid sensors, accessories and complementary instruments are ideal solutions for material testing as well as research, development, and prototype evaluation.

Our industry-vetted strain gages are used to construct load cells and transducers that reliably measure critical data including:

Pressure • Load • Force • Toque • Fatigue • PCB • Displacement

What you build and how you build it matters. Most engineers agree that manufactured items should survive their intended purpose. In-house experts at Micro-Measurements understand that engaging test measurement will help you exceed this bare-minimum manufacturing expectation. Anticipating unexpected loadings helps protect users. Our materials, combined with techniques such as computer modeling and real-word testing, will help you achieve stronger, lighter, more efficient, and safer structures.

Why Worry About Test Measurement?

Micro-Measurements’ test and measurement products are frequently used across a broad range of market sectors:

Dams
Rail Monitoring
Pipelines
Bridges
Geotechnical/Geoscience
Residual Stresses
Fastener Testing
Test Labs
Ship Builders
Power Generators and Turbine Manufacturers
Printed Circuit Board Assembly
Infrastructure
Education
Automotive

CONTACT AN EXPERT

Material testing leads to improved long-term reliability, helps prevent latent failures in printed circuit board assembly, increases customer confidence, contributes to long-term life prediction for bridges, and can ensure suitable foundation installment.

AUTOMOTIVE

Our high-performing strain gages are used for strain and dynamic torque measurement—critical in determining the design viability and expected life of vehicle systems and components. Suitable for engine test stands, car seats, tires, radiators, exhaust systems, proving ground testing, fluid level monitoring and drivetrain testing.

EDUCATION/UNIVERSITIES

Our educational support includes discounts on general-purpose strain gages; a selection of Student Strain Gages; an extended warranty program for instrumentation purchased for use in the teaching laboratory; and Experiments in Mechanics, a series of exercises designed around the simple cantilever beam and intended to teach mechanics using experimental stress analysis technology as the teaching medium.

INFRASTRUCTURE/CONSTRUCTION/CIVIL ENGINEERING

Micro-Measurements’ foil strain gages are the most robust solution to monitor strain in concrete and metal structures. Our gages are installed on structural components in bridges and buildings to measure stress and compare these measurements to analytical models and stress calculations.

PCB ASSEMBLY

Long-term collaborators with PCB manufacturers, Micro-Measurements is a world leader in the development of strain measurement products that support the electronics industry’s specific requirements.

POWER GENERATOR/TURBINE MANUFACTURES

Micro-Measurements’ strain gages help detect equipment failure, malfunction and unusual conditions found during regular operation or maintenance activities. Our sensing systems—including wireless and telemetry capabilities—accurately measure variables in pumps and other equipment that experience high thrust loads.

SHIP BUILDERS

Micro-Measurements’ strain gages are used to measure the torque in ship parts such as fans, generators, wheels, or propellers in a motor, turbine, or engine. Our strain gages are also used to measure and monitor mooring forces of ships. Common approaches include mounting a tension strain gage load cells in line with mooring ropes or using a shear pin force strain gage transducer.

TEST LAB

Micro-Measurements' strain gages are staples in any test lab that performs mechanical, metallurgical, environmental, chemical, and corrosion testing on any kind of metal. Metal foil strain gages are ideal solutions for collecting and analyzing data related to the causes of premature degradation and fracture. Tests include tensile strength, compression, hardness impact, friction, bending, fatigue, shear and strain.

a bolt with a Micro-Measurements strain gage installed

FASTENER TESTING

Fasteners are ubiquitous in a variety of everyday structures, including infrastructure, equipment, and vehicles. These structures need to be safe and reliable. That’s why fasteners must perform to expectations and hold up to wear and tear such as stress, vibration, unexpected loads, and environmental conditions. Micro-Measurements’ metal foil strain gages are key components in any fastener testing. These tests help to identify potential problems at an early stage, extend service life, and help reduce operating and replacement costs.

RESIDUAL STRESSES

An inevitable, and potentially costly, effect of the manufacturing and fabricating processes is residual stress. Most commonly, residual stresses are detrimental— contributing to fatigue and other structural failures that often go unrecognized until after a malfunction or failure occurs. The hole-drilling strain gage method is a relatively simple procedure and has been standardized in ASTM Standard Test Method E 837. Learn more about the general theory of residual stress measurements in Micro-Measurements Tech Note TN-503, “Measurement of Residual Stresses by the Hole-Drilling Strain Gage Method”.

GEOTECHNICAL/GEOSCIENCE

Micro-Measurements’ strain gages are expertly designed to meet unique challenges such as those found in constructions occurring on the earth’s surface or subsurface. Our gages help determine mechanical properties for structures such as earth-filled dams, retaining walls, embankments, tunnels, dikes and levees, channels, reservoirs and landfills.

BRIDGES

Micro-Measurements’ foil strain gages are used in bridge structures around the world to measure strain, displacement, force, temperature, inclination, bending movements and alignment. A permanent installation provides long-term monitoring of the structure’s health, while a temporary installation ensures safe working conditions during a repair.

PIPELINES

Micro-Measurements’ metal foil strain gages can be attached to various points along oil and gas pipelines to offer continuous, remote monitoring of the structures and help prevent threats to the flow inside the pipe as well as potential threats to the environment.

RAIL MONITORING

Micro-Measurements offers a wide range of strain gages that provide long-term structural monitoring solutions for railways. The strain on rails, such as axial tension or compression, can and should be measured and monitored. Warnings enable maintenance, minimize impact on rail traffic, and ensure safety.

DAMS

Micro-Measurements’ impressive collection of strain gages are well suited for monitoring and analyzing the behavior of a dam’s structural element. When strain gages are used during the planning, design, construction and operation of the dam, the performance of the dam’s structure is reliable and safe. In addition, our strain gages are suitable to ascertain data related to other parts of the dam, such as the reservoir and river basin, to help ensure normal operation and safety.