We have long and good experience with stretch flaps. Easy to use and inexpensive to purchase, they are used to prevent failure and to detect and locate overloads, damage and cracks.

Our iBridge smart data loggers are designed, among other things, to be able to be used together with stretch flaps.

Stretch patches are mounted directly on surfaces without making mechanical changes to the object. This provides great opportunities for measuring and monitoring changes in constructions and objects. 

Attaches to the object with suitable glue

The most common types of stretch flaps consist of an insulating flexible foil with a metallic foil pattern (see example pictures).

The meter is attached to the object with a suitable adhesive. When the object is deformed, the foil is deformed, causing the electrical resistance to change. This resistance change, usually measured using a Wheatstone bridge, is related to the load and provides an electrical measurement signal proportional to the physical change.

The stretch flap's design and simple assembly make it very suitable for measuring and monitoring most types of structures (Structural health monitoring (SHM)).

Provides predictable and safe maintenance

Many objects and materials in industrial applications have a limited lifetime. To improve service life and cost of ownership, predictive maintenance principles are used.

Strain gauges can be used to monitor strain as an indicator of fatigue in materials. It enables software systems to predict when certain components need to be replaced or repaired.

Can be used on both rigid and soft materials

Stretch patches can be used to instrument rigid materials such as metals, ceramics, composites and the like. 

Highly elastic strain gauges, such as Elastisens, are used to monitor softer materials such as rubber, plastic, textiles and the like.