Environmentally-Sealed Bridge Completion Modules

Long lead wires within the active arm of a Wheatstone Bridge circuit can cause significant error in one’s measurements, including attenuation of low-level signals and unwanted thermal output. Micro-Measurements offers the “nearly perfect” solution with its MR-Series Bridge Completion Modules. These very simple devices are used to complete quarter- or half-bridge gage configurations and are a cornerstone of BDI’s operation, allowing the company to execute its laboratory and controlled-environment work in an efficient and cost-effective manner.

However, in field applications, bridge completion modules can be damaged by extreme cold, heat, wind, rain, hail and mechanical impact, and require field soldering to complete intra-bridge wiring. To simplify installations in the field, BDI developed its series of Foil Gage Completion Modules. At the heart of each module is a Micro-Measurement MR-Series Bridge Completion Module, sealed in a water-resistant casing. Both the pre-wired foil strain gages (glued or welded installation) and BDI Foil Completion Modules are equipped with M8 mating connectors, allowing engineers/technicians to show up on site with ready-made kits that can be installed without the need for soldering.

This modification to the traditional Micro-Measurements MR-Series module decreases the amount of time required to complete a field installation, reduces the skill level required to obtain a quality field strain gage installation, and allows gages to be installed in adverse field conditions for laboratory-grade measurements. The effectiveness of the BDI Completion Module was made apparent during the Westinghouse Electric Corporation (WEC) Proof Test Project in the summer of 2014, in which 144 quarter- and half-bridge foil gages were installed on the WECX 800 Schnabel Railcar system.

Click here to read the full Case Study: Environmentally Sealed Bridge Completion Modules