Strain gauges of GaSbFeGa1.3 eutectic composites

A needle-shaped metallic FeGa1.3 phase oriented in a specific direction and uniformly distributed within a GaSb matrix was grown by a vertical Bridgman method. Strain-gauge characteristics, such as strain-sensitivity coefficient (S), temperature coefficient of strain sensitivity (TCS) and temperature coefficient of resistance, of GaSb and GaSbFeGa1.3 eutectic alloy have been investigated in the range of 200 to 400 K under deformation up to strains of 1.3×10-3. The value of S of the GaSbFeGa1.3 composition is measured to be 40±5 and its TCS is about 0.2 % deg-1 when the current is perpendicular to the needles and the needles are parallel to the plane of the gauge substrate. The strain-sensitivity characteristics are linear and hysteresis free in the investigated temperature range in the aforementioned direction. It was found that GaSbFeGa1.3-based strain gauges possess better deformation characteristics than GaSb-based gauges.