Strain Gage Protective Coatings for Environmental Protection | Micro-Measurements
Protecting Your Strain Gages from Environmental Hazards
Strain gage performance can be significantly affected by moisture, chemical exposure, and mechanical damage. To maintain accurate measurements, it’s crucial to apply the right level of environmental protection. At Micro-Measurements, we offer a range of M-Coat Protective Coatings specifically formulated to shield strain gages and adhesives from the elements, ensuring long-lasting performance even in challenging conditions. By applying a suitable protective coating immediately after installation, you can safeguard your strain gages from degradation and extend their service life.
The Importance of Strain Gage Protection
Strain gages require varying degrees of protection depending on the environmental conditions they face. In controlled environments, such as an air-conditioned lab, a single layer of M-Coat A provides sufficient protection against humidity, dust, and fingerprints. However, for more severe environments, a combination of coatings or specialized procedures may be necessary to ensure robust protection.
M-Coat Protective Coatings: Engineered Solutions for Every Environment
Our M-Coat Protective Coatings are designed to meet a wide range of gage protection requirements, from mild to extreme. The selection of coatings includes materials suitable for everything from indoor lab conditions to outdoor applications exposed to harsh weather, chemicals, or mechanical wear. The M-Coat line offers versatile solutions that can be customized to your specific needs, ensuring that your strain gage installations are shielded against environmental stressors.
Key Features of Micro-Measurements Strain Gage Adhesives:
- Superior Bonding Strength: Our M-Bond adhesives deliver robust adhesion, ensuring that strain gages remain securely attached to a variety of surfaces, from metals to composites.
- Temperature Resilience: Designed to withstand a wide range of temperatures, making them ideal for environments with fluctuating or extreme conditions.
- Fast Curing Options: Choose from quick-setting adhesives for rapid installations or long-working-time options for more complex applications.
- Moisture and Chemical Resistance: Our adhesives provide excellent protection against moisture and chemicals, extending the life of strain gage installations in harsh environments.
- Easy Application: Our adhesives are user-friendly, simplifying the bonding process while ensuring consistent results every time.
Coating Selection Guide
| ENVIRONMENT | PREFERRED | ALTERNATE | ||
| > Typical Laboratory | ||||
|
50%, or lower, relative humidity
|
M-Coat A | M-Coat C, or M-Coat D, or M-Coat F, or GageKote #1 | ||
| > Field Applications | ||||
|
Outdoor installations, shield from rain or snow
|
M-Coat F, or Barrier E | M-Coat JA or Gagekote #5 | ||
| > High Humidity, Water Splash | ||||
|
Laboratory and field applications under damp or wet conditions
|
Short Term:3140-RTV Long Term: M-Coat W-1 Wax | Short Term:3145-RTV Long Term: M-Coat F | ||
| > Water Immersion | ||||
|
Short-term, fresh water or salt water
|
Etched Teflon + M-Coat B (on vinyl insulated leadwires) + M-Coat JA | M-Coat W-1 Wax or Barrier WD | ||
|
Long-term, fresh water
|
M-Coat W-1 Wax or Barrier WD | M-Coat F or Barrier E | ||
|
Long-term, salt water
|
M-Coat W-1 Wax combined with M-Coat JA | None | ||
|
High-pressure water
|
M-Coat W-1 Wax, M-Coat JA, M-Coat FA-2, followed by M-Coat B | M-Coat F, or M-Coat W-1 Wax for short-term | ||
| > Steam | ||||
|
+212 F (+100 C), long term installation
|
Hermetically sealed metal cap, conduit for leadwires | None | ||
| > Concrete Surfaces | ||||
|
Long-term
|
M-Coat JA or Gagekote #5 | M-Bond GA-61 to seal the concrete surface | ||
| > Oils and Fuel | ||||
|
Commerical oils, to +180 F(+80 C), gasoline, and kerosene
|
M-Coat JA, or M-Coat D + two or three layers of M-Coat B | 3145-RTV + M-Coat B | ||
|
Synthetic oils, to +200 F (+95C)
|
Two or three layers of M-Bond 43B | M-Bond GA-61 | ||
| > High Temperature Air | ||||
|
To +500 F (+260 C), with good mechanical protection
|
Short Term: M-Bond GA-61 or Epoxylite #813 | 3145-RTV | ||
|
Above +500 F( +260 C) when using free filament gages
|
Gagekote #11 | None |
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