Most strain gauges are manufactured such that the resistance varies linearly with changes in the length. Changes in either resistivity (as a function of stress) or area are usually minimal and thus ignored.The unstrained resistance is usually 120 or 350 ohm. These values were originally chosen because they were the critical dampening resistance of the use galvanometers used with straingauges.since very few instruments today use galvanometers for measuring the output of bridge. circuits the resistance of strain gauges must no longer be kept at these values.As a result, it is being increased to match the requirements of integrated circuit instrument amplifiers, to reduce power requirements and to increase the signal-to-noise ratio. As a result the unstrained resistance is being increased to values as high as can be manufactured These values in the state-of- the-art platinum (92 percent) tungsten (8 percent) strain gauges are about 1 k ohm and such gauges have a gauge factor (K) of 4.5. where K is defined by
where
AR change in gauge resistance gauge factor (usually 2 but as high as several hundred)
gauge resistance