Why is strain measurement necessary? What are the advantages of multi-channel strain acquisition equipment?
1. What is strain?
Simply put, strain is the deformation of an object under the action of an external force. A spring is a typical example of strain. In high school physics, we learned Hooke's Law, derived from spring deformation: within the elastic limit, elastic deformation is directly proportional to the external force; when the external force exceeds the elastic limit, the material may undergo plastic deformation or fracture. Many examples in life also demonstrate the existence of strain. For example, when a house or bridge is subjected to wind or pedestrian traffic, the foundation, beams, columns, and floor slabs will undergo slight deformation. Although these deformations are usually not obvious, excessive strain may lead to structural damage. Another example is the screen of a mobile phone or tablet, which will slightly bend due to the pressure of fingers or external forces. If this stress exceeds the material's limits, it may lead to cracks. These examples all show that strain is a very critical parameter, especially in industrial production, where its measurement is crucial for ensuring structural safety and product performance.
2. The Importance of Strain Measurement
In previous discussions, we mentioned that fluid pressure needs to be measured in wind tunnel tests. In fact, in wind tunnel testing, besides measuring fluid pressure, the strain of the model's structural strength and material properties must also be verified through repeated multi-point testing. This is not only related to the safety and performance of the aircraft but also closely related to the development of the national aerospace industry. Of course, strain measurement is also applied in various industrial production, experimental analysis, and teaching research. In the automotive industry, strain measurement helps manufacturers determine the fatigue level of materials in clutch durability testing, thereby improving vehicle safety and performance. In large building structures such as bridges and tunnels, monitoring strain can promptly detect potential structural problems and avoid damage caused by excessive deformation. Furthermore, the reliability testing of electronic products also relies heavily on strain measurement. For example, the durability of electronic devices such as mobile phone screens and computer keyboards needs to be evaluated through strain testing to ensure they are not easily damaged during daily use. In composite material research and development and teaching research, strain measurement provides crucial data support, helping to optimize process parameters and improve product quality.
3. Advantages of Multi-channel Strain Acquisition Equipment
Strain acquisition has always been a research hotspot, leading to the development of many strain measurement methods. Currently, strain resistance measurement is the most widely used, offering advantages in terms of not only a large measurement range but also sensitivity, accuracy, and resistance to contamination. Traditional strain measurement methods are ill-suited to today's complex industrial environments due to complex multi-channel networking and limited software functionality. KETU&TEST, a leading domestic manufacturer of high-precision test and measurement solutions, has developed the KTDA-ST16 multi-channel strain acquisition device. This device boasts ±0.01%FS high-precision strain data acquisition capabilities, employs a 24-bit AD converter, offers adjustable sampling from 0–10kHz, and is compatible with full-bridge, half-bridge, and quarter-bridge configurations. Furthermore, the strain resistance is customizable, enabling simultaneous monitoring of multiple channels. Seamless interconnection via a switch significantly improves measurement efficiency and meets the demands of large-scale testing.
Regarding data output and display, the KTDA-ST16 strain acquisition instrument is equipped with KetuSoft software, which is 100% independently developed and controllable by KETU&TEST. This software integrates core operations such as real-time waveform display, monitoring panel, one-click storage, virtual device channel calculation, and one-click calibration and zeroing. It also expands data export capabilities, supporting various common file formats including CSV, Excel, Access, Matlab, and UFF. Furthermore, KetuSoft software has enhanced its data analysis module, adding time-domain and frequency-domain analysis functions, and supporting the selection and configuration of various filtering algorithms, greatly enriching the multi-dimensional interpretation of data. It also features a data gallery function, allowing users to freely add elements such as data frames, pressure gauges, thermometers, waveforms, and accelerometers to the scene diagram, and connect these elements to the devices in the scene diagram using arrows. This visualizes real-time data and experimental scenarios, making experiments more intuitive and efficient.
4. Summary and Outlook
With technological advancements, strain measurement equipment will become more intelligent and flexible. In the future, highly integrated and portable strain acquisition devices will help more industries achieve comprehensive monitoring of objects and structures, becoming an important guarantee for ensuring product quality and structural safety.
