Synonyms
Definition
The extensometer is an instrument designed to measure the distance separating two fixed points by determining extension or contraction of a connecting element under stress which is temporarily or permanently attached to the fixed points.
Characteristics
The first such instrument was designed to measure deformation of iron rods during fatigue testing (Huston 1879). There are other instruments allowing determination of distance between fixed points by direct distance measurements (e.g., precision tape; laser distance meters; electronic distance meters) without using connecting element under tension.
Repeated readings are required to detect changes of the connecting element length which indicates relative displacement of the fixed points with respect to each other. Determination of their movement vector or total displacement requires additional information which cannot be provided by the...
References
Corominas J, Moya J, Lloret A, Gili JA, Angeli MG, Pasuto A, Silvano S (2000) Measurement of landslide displacements using a wire extensometer. Eng Geol 55:146–166
Huston C (1879) The effect of continued and progressively increasing strain upon iron. J Frankl Inst 107:41–44
Lin CP, Tang SH (2005) Development and calibration of TDR extensometer for geotechnical monitoring. Geotech Test J 28(5) online astm.org
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2016 Springer International Publishing AG
About this entry
Cite this entry
Klimeš, J. (2016). Extensometer. In: Bobrowsky, P., Marker, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Engineering Geology. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-12127-7_119-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-12127-7_119-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-12127-7
eBook Packages: Springer Reference Earth and Environm. ScienceReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Earth and Environmental Sciences