Date of Award

Summer 1997

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Educational Foundations & Leadership

Program/Concentration

Electrical Engineering

Committee Director

Sacharia Albin

Committee Member

Amin N. Dharamsi

Committee Member

Linda L. Vahala

Call Number for Print

Special Collections LD4331.E55 L56

Abstract

Thin film strain gauges have many applications as transducers for monitoring pressure, vibration, and acceleration. In this thesis, a simple system, consisting of a Nichrome thin film strain gauge deposited on a glass substrate, is investigated in detail. Finite element analysis is used to model the expected sensor behavior. The substrate is shaped to exhibit a constant strain distribution, and is set up in a cantilever beam configuration. R. F. sputtering is used to deposit the Nichrome film, and the resistor pattern is transferred via photolithography. The gravitational force on a mass attached to the free end of the sensor causes the strain gauge resistance to change proportional to the angle of tilt. This change is converted into an electrical signal via a Wheatstone bridge. In the range of 0° to 30° tilt, the experimental results are very close to the modeled predictions. Sources of non-linearity are discussed and conclusions are made.

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DOI

10.25777/f487-tn56

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