| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 748839 | Sensors and Actuators A: Physical | 2014 | 6 Pages |
•Graphite strain gauge is printed on flexible plastic foil.•Xenon flash lamp appears to be efficient for curing the graphite ink.•Printed strain sensor shows a large gauge factor and fast response.•We report a highly reproducible sensor response under cyclic mechanical deformation.•Temperature compensation for strain gauge is proposed.
A growing area for the electronics industry is the development of flexible components for novel devices. Controlling the flexibility of such devices requires the precise and reliable measurement of strains in a manner compatible with the form and function of the device. In this article, we demonstrate the fabrication and characterization of printed strain gauges with a gauge factor as high as 19.3 ± 1.4, fast signal response and high reproducibility. The device is made of graphite ink deposited by screen printing on a plastic substrate. The flexible printed sensor is capable of precisely measuring repetitive tensile and compressive bending strain changes. An approach for eliminating the temperature-induced errors of strain gauges based on neutral axis engineering is also described.
