From Dataforth
PROCESS VARIABLES such as load weight, pressure, flow, distance, motion and vibration employ strain gage bridge circuits as the fundamental sensor device. The most dominant application of bridge circuits is in the instrumentation arena. Within these applications, the strain gage as a resistive element sensitive to displacement has been used extensively for a century. Examining all types of individual strain gage element configurations is beyond the scope of this application note; however, the behavior fundamentals of strain gages interfaced to Dataforths strain gage bridge signal conditioning modules is examined.