arrow_back_ios

Main Menu

See All Acoustic End-of-Line Test Systems See All DAQ and instruments See All Electroacoustics See All Software See All Transducers See All Vibration Testing Equipment See All Academy See All Resource Center See All Applications See All Industries See All Insights See All Services See All Support See All Our Business See All Our History See All Our Sustainability Commitment See All Global Presence
arrow_back_ios

Main Menu

See All Actuators See All Combustion Engines See All Durability See All eDrive See All Transmission & Gearboxes See All Turbo Charger See All DAQ Systems See All High Precision and Calibration Systems See All Industrial electronics See All Power Analyser See All S&V Hand-held devices See All S&V Signal conditioner See All Accessories See All DAQ Software See All Drivers & API See All nCode - Durability and Fatigue Analysis See All ReliaSoft - Reliability Analysis and Management See All Test Data Management See All Utility See All Vibration Control See All Acoustic See All Current / voltage See All Displacement See All Load Cells See All Pressure See All Strain Gauges See All Torque See All Vibration See All LDS Shaker Systems See All Power Amplifiers See All Vibration Controllers See All Accessories for Vibration Testing Equipment See All Training Courses See All Whitepapers See All Acoustics See All Asset & Process Monitoring See All Custom Sensors See All Data Acquisition & Analysis See All Durability & Fatigue See All Electric Power Testing See All NVH See All Reliability See All Smart Sensors See All Vibration See All Weighing See All Automotive & Ground Transportation See All Calibration See All Installation, Maintenance & Repair See All Support Brüel & Kjær See All Release Notes See All Compliance See All Our People
arrow_back_ios

Main Menu

See All CANHEAD See All GenHS See All LAN-XI See All MGCplus See All Optical Interrogators See All QuantumX See All SomatXR See All Fusion-LN See All Accessories See All Hand-held Software See All Accessories See All BK Connect / Pulse See All API See All Microphone Sets See All Microphone Cartridges See All Acoustic Calibrators See All Special Microphones See All Microphone Pre-amplifiers See All Sound Sources See All Accessories for acoustic transducers See All Experimental testing See All Transducer Manufacturing (OEM) See All Accessories See All Non-rotating (calibration) See All Rotating See All CCLD (IEPE) accelerometers See All Charge Accelerometers See All Impulse hammers / impedance heads See All Cables See All Accessories See All Electroacoustics See All Noise Source Identification See All Environmental Noise See All Sound Power and Sound Pressure See All Noise Certification See All Industrial Process Control See All Structural Health Monitoring See All Electrical Devices Testing See All Electrical Systems Testing See All Grid Testing See All High-Voltage Testing See All Vibration Testing with Electrodynamic Shakers See All Structural Dynamics See All Machine Analysis and Diagnostics See All Process Weighing See All Calibration Services for Transducers See All Calibration Services for Handheld Instruments See All Calibration Services for Instruments & DAQ See All On-Site Calibration See All Resources See All Software License Management
Solder d=0,5mm Sn95,5Ag3,8Cu0,7

Lead-Free Soldering of Strain Gauges

Electrical strain gauges are connected to a bridge amplifier module after bonding to their base material with a bridge amplifier module, before starting the strain measurement. The connection between the strain gauge and the wire is usually performed by soldering. The correct soldering of strain gauges with the corresponding connection wires is a process which requests the correct setting of process parameters such as solder temperature, the right equipment, and, of course, some experience. A wrongly processed solder connection could lead for example to a zero-point drift of the measurement signal or to the complete failure of your measurement because of a connection loss.

Video: Learn How to Solder Strain Gauges

Watch the video for a quick overview of the different soldering steps:

  1. Removing the oxide layer on the solder pad (using an eraser pencil)
  2. Cleaning the solder pad to remove eraser residue and other dirt (with RMS)
  3. Pre-tinning of the solder pads
  4. Pre-tinning of the wire
  5. Soldering the wire to the solder pad
     

Suitable Soldering Tips for Strain Gauge Installation

null
 
null
 
null
 

Unsuitable Soldering Tip for Strain Gauge Installation

null
 

How to Ensure High Reliability Through Lead-Free Soldering?

  • There are a lot of different things to consider when soldering a wire with an electrical strain gauge, such as the solder tip geometry. They must have a suitable thermal capacity, which means that narrow, or spiked, soldering tips are typically unsuitable. Chisel-shaped, rounded, or broader soldering tips are better-suited to lead-free strain gauge soldering.
  • Additionally to ensure a correct processing of the solder the temperature of the soldering tip needs to be in a specified range.
  • If the temperature of the soldering iron rises above the upper use limit, it could prematurely vaporize the fluxing agent used to prepare the substrate material. This could result in a significantly weakened solder joint. It could also delaminate the strain gauge solder terminal, reducing the adhesion of the components. Conversely, if the temperature is too low the solder may not wet correctly. This necessitates longer soldering times, which can damage the strain gauge soldering terminal and reduce the efficacy of the test equipment. Temperature is also a critical factor in the maintenance of the soldering iron itself. Prolonged use can accelerate the oxidation of the soldering tip, so it is advisable to lower the temperature or switch off the instrument entirely during pauses. Ideally, the soldering time should be as brief as possible, and the solder tip should be re-tinned between uses to prevent surface oxidation.
Download PDF 
null

Strain Gauge Solutions from HBK

At HBM, we are committed to providing unique services and solutions for all your strain gauge applications. With over 65 years’ experience developing and supplying unique test bench accessories and components to sectors all over the world, we are proud to offer you our expertise, services, and products. If you would like any more information about wiring strain gauges with innovative techniques or accessories, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Support Content

No more result to load