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Arthur Claude Ruge - Invention of Strain Gauge

Arthur Claude Ruge invented the modern bonded wire resistance strain gauge in 1938 while working as a professor of engineering seismology at MIT. He needed a way to measure the stress caused by earthquakes on water tanks for his seismic insulation research. On April 3, 1938 he had an insight that led to the concept of gluing a thin metallic foil to an object so that deformation of the foil under strain could be measured electrically via changes in resistance. Ruge developed this initial idea into the first practical strain gauge, laying the foundation for advanced strain measurement.

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Vidya Muthukrishnan
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95 views1 page

Arthur Claude Ruge - Invention of Strain Gauge

Arthur Claude Ruge invented the modern bonded wire resistance strain gauge in 1938 while working as a professor of engineering seismology at MIT. He needed a way to measure the stress caused by earthquakes on water tanks for his seismic insulation research. On April 3, 1938 he had an insight that led to the concept of gluing a thin metallic foil to an object so that deformation of the foil under strain could be measured electrically via changes in resistance. Ruge developed this initial idea into the first practical strain gauge, laying the foundation for advanced strain measurement.

Uploaded by

Vidya Muthukrishnan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Arthur Claude Ruge Invention of Strain

Gauge
A strain gauge is a device used to measure strain on an object.
Invented by Edward E. Simmons and Arthur C. Ruge in 1938,
the most common type of strain gauge consists of an insulating
flexible backing which supports a metallic foil pattern. The
gauge is attached to the object by a suitable adhesive, such
as cyanoacrylate. As the object is deformed, the foil is deformed,
causing its electrical resistance to change. This resistance change,
usually measured using a Wheatstone bridge, is related to
strain by the quantity known as the gauge factor.

the

Arthur Claude Ruge


Arthur Claude Ruge (July 28, 1905 April 3, 2000) was an American mechanical engineer and
inventor who developed and pioneered the modern bonded wire
resistance strain gauge. Ruge graduated from Carnegie Mellon
University with a mechanical engineering degree in 1925, and worked
as a
structural engineer for several years thereafter. He then earned his
master's degree in civil engineering and a doctorate in engineering
seismology
from MIT. In 1932, Ruge joined the faculty of MIT, where he would
spend the rest of his academic career, becoming America's first professor
of
engineering seismology.

Invention of the Strain Gauge


During the course of his seismic insulation research, Ruge discovered that
he needed to measure the stress on the water tanks that was caused by the
earthquakes, and so he set about devising a means for attaining
this measurement. According to Ruge, he had a Eureka
moment on April 3, 1938 when the invention just popped into my mind, whole. I could see it
clearly and knew that it would work. His solution was to glue a piece of cigarette paper on the
tank and glue a small wire with end connections to the paper 4. Ruge and his assistants quickly
developed this rudimentary device [2] into the more advanced version that would later be
patented. In 1939, Arthur Ruge and Alfred de Forest, a colleague from MIT and fellow inventor,
founded a company, Ruge Consulting.

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