Investigation of strain gages for use at cryogenic temperatures

Strain sensitivity and resistance changes in Advance, Karma, Budd Alloy, Nichrome V, and stabilized Armour D foil gages, and Nichrome V-platinum temperature-compensated gages were evaluated at cryogenic temperatures. The more promising gage types, as determined from these studies, were tested to strain levels up to 11,000 μin./in. with tensile specimens. The other performance characteristics that were investigated included zero drift, creep, hysteresis, linearity and gage element size effects. A mounting method developed for foil gages to be used at cryogenic temperatures is described.