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.