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Vishay Measurements Group
Interactive Guide
Technical Articles
Cleaning Surfaces of Contaminants
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Cleaning Surfaces of Contaminants for Gage Bonding |
| The final quality-control step in the manufacture
of Micro-Measurements strain gages -- the actual gage
installation -- is in the hands of the gage
installer. The choice of installation materials and
techniques is critical to the successful completion
of a first-class strain measuring system. Every
successful installation begins with preparation of
the measurement surface for gage bonding. And, the
first step in this crucial process is cleaning the
surface of contaminants to ensure a satisfactory bond
between the gage and the surface to which it is
bonded.
Strain gages can be bonded to almost any solid material if its surface is properly prepared. While a satisfactory surface might be prepared in a variety of ways, a number of steps are common to them all. The most fundamental of these is cleaning the surface of any contaminants that could affect the ability of the adhesive to transmit strain from the specimen to the strain gage. When completed, surface preparation should yield a chemically clean surface with layout lines for orienting the gage, an alkalinity compatible with the adhesive, and surface roughness appropriate for gage adhesion. Before the surface can be abraded to produce the proper roughness, or layout lines can be burnished, or conditioners and neutralizers can be applied to obtain the proper pH, surface contaminants must be removed. 
Soil, dust, and other loose contaminants can usually be removed by brushing with a clean, dry brush. More firmly attached materials, including algae and other plant growth, may require washing with a mild detergent solution. |
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