Introduction

All organic strain gage adhesives require that some form of clamping pressure be applied and maintained throughout the curing stage. In the case of the fast-curing M-Bond 200 adhesive, clamping pressure is applied with the thumb or finger, and maintained for a minimum of one minute. However, M-Bond 200 is not recommended for elevated-temperature or long-term strain measurements. For these applications, or when gages must be installed in confined areas such as inside tubing or bored holes, epoxy or epoxy-phenolic adhesives are commonly selected.

With epoxy-based adhesives it is always necessary to maintain a specified uniform clamping pressure while the adhesive is curing. The instruction bulletins accompanying all Micro-Measurements strain gage adhesives include, in each case, the recommended clamping pressure and curing cycle. Since the curing process usually takes several hours and may involve elevated temperatures, it is important that the clamping device be physically stable and capable of holding the specified force for the required time.

This publication describes several popular, and some unusual, gage clamping methods and hardware.

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