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Measurement uncertainty in extensometer

calibration
Conference Paper January 2008

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Traceability to supportMeas
CIPMurement
MRA and
other international
arrangements
(Torino 6-7 November 2008)
uncertainty
in extensometer
calibration

Measurement uncertainty in extensometer

calibration
CARLO FERRERO
INRIM, ISTITUTO NAZIONALE DI RICERCA METROLOGICA, TORINO, ITALY
E-MAIL: C.FERRERO@INRIM.IT

Abstract
In the field of calibration, Italy participates to the European framework with
SIT(Servizio di Taratura in Italia), which grants accreditation through the verification of
the correctness of the calibration of the measurement instruments with reference to the
National Standards maintained by the Metrological Institutes INRIM and ENEA.
One of the most important activities at European (EA) and National level of the National Accreditation Body (NAB) is the organization of a series of interlaboratory comparisons (ILC), to verify the measurements capability of the accredited Laboratories. In
2007-2008 one ILCs, for the calibration of extensometer, was organized in Italy by SIT.
In the paper the main focus is given to verify the measurement uncertainty at each chain
link and for this reason a new model for the uncertainty evaluation for the extensometer
calibration is presented.
A numerical example, relates specifically to the calibration of extensometers in accordance with UNI EN ISO 9513 Calibration of Extensometers used in Uniaxial testing
is given. In the example, the calibrating device is a micrometer head and the uncertainty
is estimated at a confidence level of 95 % using ISO GUM methodology, in accordance
with SIT requirements.

1) General evaluation
With the adoption of the European Standard EN-10002/4, beginning 1994, and of the
following ISO EN 9513 the various National Accreditation Bodies (NAB) of different
countries have conformed their procedures of calibration and classification of the strain
gages to the ISO standards.
The various standards establish only the values of tolerance for the most important
components of the measurement error such as repeatability and resolution of the extensometer under test, and displacement errors of the calibrating and a classification of the
different transducers submitted to calibration. (see Table I).
However, the uncertainties associated with measured errors of indication need to be
evaluated by the calibrating laboratories in order that this information is readily available to the customer when required.
The calibration of an extensometer involves a comparison of the readings given by the
extensometer with known variations in length provided by a calibration apparatus
UNI-EN ISO 9513 requires that "the error of the calibrating device shall not exceed

Measurement uncertainty in extensometer calibration

one-third of the permissible error of the extensometer being calibrated".

Extensometer (maximum values)
Relative
error
extensomete on the gauge
length
r
Class of

0,2
0,5
1
2

Resolutiona

Calibration apparatus (maximum values)

Bias error

Absolute
error

Relative
value

Absolute
value

Bias errora

qLe

r /l i

Absolute
value
r

li - lt
m

0,2
0,5
1
2

0,1
0,25
0,5
1

0,2
0,5
1
2

0,2
0,5
1
2

0,6
1,5
3
6

0,05
0,12
0,25
0,5

0,1
0,25
0,5
1

0,06
0,15
0,3
0,6

0,2
0,5
1
2

Percentage of
readings

Relative
error
q

Resolutiona

Relative
error

Absolute
value

The transducer is classified on the base of the differences that are determined among
the results of calibration and the reference values.
The higher the grade of the extensometer, and the shorter the extension, and the shorter
the gauge length, then the lower the permissible errors.

2) Uncertainty of Measurement in strain gage calibration

This example relates specifically to the calibration of extensometers in accordance with
UNI ISO 9513: Calibration of Extensometers used in Uniaxial testing. Remembering
from the ISO 9513The calibration apparatus which allows a known displacement lt, to be applied to the extensometer, may consist of a rigid frame with suitable coaxial spindles or other fixtures to which the extensometer can be attached.omissis. The variations in length can be measured, for example, using
an interferometer or gauge blocks and a comparator or a screw micrometer. The
gauge blocks, comparator, micrometer or interferometer used shall be calibrated
by a method which is traceable to the international unit (SI) of length and their accuracy shall be known. omissis.The extensometer shall be attached in the same
way as during uniaxial testing
In this example, the calibrating device is a 0-25mm Type 3 micrometer head. The uncertainty is estimated at a confidence level of 95 % using ISO GUM methodology, in
accordance with SIT requirements
Note: it is necessary to remember that a micrometer head type 3 is not suitable to realise the calibration of strain gages with the most elevated characteristics.

Measurement uncertainty in extensometer calibration

2.1) Theoretical model

The basic model of measurement, used for determining the error of indication, is the following:
ei = Fi - (Ri- Ro)
Where, for the ith value of the extensometer scale:
ei = error of indicated extension
Fi = nominal extensometer scale reading
Ri = mean micrometer head reading
Ro = mean "zero" micrometer head reading

3) Uncertainty components relating to the calibration apparatus

The different components of uncertainty are considered not correlated.
3.1) Progressive error of the calibration device
The progressive error of the micrometer head has been examined at increments of 1 mm
and the calibration certificate gives a table of results with a maximum error value of 2,1
m
Nevertheless, the examination of the results shows that the progressive error over any 5
mm interval is at a minimum of 0,01 m between the 5mm and 10mm readings, so the
calibration of the extensometer was carried out with the micrometer readings ranging
between 5mm and 9mm.
The uncertainty value for each reported calibration result is +/- 0,5 m at a 95 % confidence level, with 30 degrees of freedom and a coverage factor of 2.
The values for error at every measurement position are reported to a common "zero",
not to each other, so the uncertainty of calculated error between two calibration points
usually is not equal to the sum of the two individual uncertainties. If we take equal, in
order to facilitate the mathematical handling, the uncertainty could result over-estimateIn this latter case, the component of uncertainty will be considered normally distributed
with a semi-range of 1 m and a coverage factor of 2, giving a standard uncertainty of
0,5 m . (.It should be noted that in the general case, where the calibrated errors are
different from zero, the calibrated errors should not be incorporated into the uncertainty ca1culation. Where, corrections to readings have not been applied, then these
error values should be added with the value for expanded uncertainty derived from the
other input components... from NATA procedure).
3.2) Periodic error of the calibration device
The calibration certificate for the micrometer head states that periodic errors of the de-

Measurement uncertainty in extensometer calibration

vice are within the limits of +/- 0,5 m. This means that the maximum error between
any two graduation values on the thimble is 1 m We have no further specific information relating to the error pattern so a rectangular distribution is assigned. The standard
uncertainty is ca1culated by dividing the semi-range by 3 giving a value of 0,577 m
3.3) Repeatability of the calibration device
The repeatability of the micrometer head is a component of the repeatability of the calibrating device which is in turn a component of the repeatability of the measuring process considered below.
3.4) Resolution of the calibration device
The micrometer head is graduated at intervals of 2 m and readings are estimated to the
nearest quarter of a division or 0,5 m. A rectangular distribution is assigned to the uncertainty component. The standard uncertainty is calculated by dividing the semi-range
by 3 , giving a value of 0,144 m
3.5) Abbe error
The laboratory equipment allows extensometers to be aligned within 1 part in 50 over
the gauge length, or parallel to the measurement axis of the calibrator within +/- 1 mm
over a 50 mm gauge length. This leads to a possible cosine error of +/- 0,2 m /mm of
the extension. A rectangular distribution is assigned to the uncertainty component with a
semi-range of 0,2 m /mm or 0,8 m /4mm. The standard uncertainty is calculated by
dividing the semi-range by 3 , giving a value of 0,46 m at the 4mm extension.
3.6) Thermal effect on the calibration device
The effect of temperature on the calibrator is difficult to evaluate because of the complexity of the device. However, if an approximately uniform temperature of the calibration device is assumed, then an estimate of thermal effects based on a nominal coefficient of thermal expansion of 11,5 ppm/C can be given (this could be obtained by
maintaining the calibrator more than two hours in the laboratories). It is estimated that
the calibrator temperature during the extensometer calibration was 21C with possible
variations within +/- l C which, when combined with its thermal expansion coefficient,
gives a possible error in the measured deformation of +/-0,046 m /mm.
A rectangular distribution is assigned to the component of uncertainty with a semi-range
of 0,184 m at the 4mm extension. The standard uncertainty is calculated by dividing
the semi-range by 3 , giving a value of 0,106 m. The confidence in the assigned semirange limit is estimated at 90%, so the number of degrees of freedom is calculated as 50.
Thermal effects on the extensometer itself are considered below.

Measurement uncertainty in extensometer calibration

Table 1: Uncertainties of the system of measurement of the laboratory to the deformation of 4

mm (Unit = m)
Source

Periodic error of
micrometer head
Uncertainty of
micrometer head
errors

Value

Distribution

Type

Rectangular

Normal

Divisor

3
2

Std u
(ui)

D.O.F.
(Vi)

0,577

200

0,5

60

0,144

50

0,46

50

Resolution of
micrometer scale

0,25

Rectangular

Misalignment

0,8

Rectangular

3
3

Thermal effects
on calibrator

0,184
i

Rectangular

0,106

Combined Standard Uncertainty (uc):

95% k value:

0,904
1,97

Expanded Uncertainty (+/- U95):

Rounded to:

1,78
1,78

50
Veff
265,6

m
m

The Combined Standard Uncertainty is calculated as the root-sum-squares of all the

standard uncertainty contributions (ui).
The Degrees of Freedom (i) are combined via the We1ch-Satterthwaite formula to give
an effective degrees of freedom (eff) .

The Coverage Factor (k) is determined from the Students' t -distribution tables according to the effective number of degrees of freedom (rounded down) and for a 95 % confidence level.
The Expanded Uncertainty U95 is ca1culated by multiplying the Combined Standard
Uncertainty by the Coverage Factor.
Table 2: Uncertainties of the measurement system of the laboratory at various deformation
Deformation
(mm)

Uncertainty
(m)

0,5

1,54

1,55

1,60

1,68

1,78

Measurement uncertainty in extensometer calibration

The laboratory system uncertainty will approximately be then equal to (1,5 + 0,07L) m
where L is the extension in mm

4) Uncertainty components of the extensometer

The significant uncertainty components to be considered are from repeatability of the
measuring process, resolution of the extensometer scale and thermal effects. (In the example, these components are considered not correlated)
4.1) Repeatability of measurement
The value for repeatability may be estimated by a number of methods. The following
method is based on the calculation of the ESDM for each group of results from the three
sets of observations.
The ESDM is calculated as the standard deviation of the group of observations divided
by the square root of the number of observations in the group ( 3 ). This is an evaluation of uncertainty type , where the standard uncertainty is equal to the ESDM and the
number of degrees of freedom for each group of three results is 2.
Table 3: Measurement data
Unit = mm

Displacement
0,4
0,8
1,2
1,6
2,0
2,4
2,8
3,2
3,6
4,0

TEST1

TEST2

TEST3

ESDM

0,3988
0,8008
1,1996
1,598
1,9984
2,4008
2,802
3,2024
3,6012
4,002

0,3998
0,801
1,2003
1,598
1,9992
2,402
2,8035
3,2036
3,6004
4,0024

0,3993
0,7999
1,1991
1,5991
1,9995
2,4012
2,8032
3,2023
3,6037
4,0054

0,00029
0,00034
0,00035
0,00037
0,00033
0,00035
0,00046
0,00042
0,00100
0,00107

It should be noted that the above method will produce overestimated values for standard
uncertainty where small numbers of observations are made
4.2) Resolution of the extensometer
The extensometer has a digital indicator with a resolution of 0,1 m resulting in a possible rounding error of 0,05 m. A rectangular distribution is assigned to the component
of uncertainty with a semi-range of 0,05 m . The standard uncertainty is calculated by
dividing the semi-range by 3 , giving a value of 0.029 m.

Measurement uncertainty in extensometer calibration

4.3) Thermal effects on the extensometer

A "typical" temperature sensitivity value for the extensometer, given by the manufacturer's specification, is of 0,006%/C. It is estimated that the temperature during testing
was 21C with possible variations within +/- 1 C which, when combined with its sensitivity coefficient, gives a possible error in the measured deformation of +/- 0,06m/mm.
A rectangular distribution is assigned to the component of uncertainty with a semi-range
of 0,24m at the 4 mm deformation. The standard uncertainty is calculated by dividing
the semi-range by 3 , giving a value of 0,139m at 4 mm.
Table 4: Uncertainty of extensometer calibration at full range (Unit = m)
Uncertainty
Source
Labs measurement
system
Repeatability of
process
Resolution of
extensometer
Thermal effects on
extensometer

Experimental
Value

Probability
Distribution

Type

Divisor

Std u
(ui)

DOF
Vi

0,904

Normal

0,904

265

1,07

Normal

1,07

0,05

Rectangular

0,029

1,00E+10

0,24

Rectangular

0,139

50
Veff

Combined Standard Uncertainty (uc):

95% k value:
Expanded Uncertainty (+/-U95):

1,42
2,45
3,48

6,5
m

Table 5: Uncertainty of extensometer calibration at all calibration points (Unit = m

Displacement (mm)
0,4
0,8
1,2
1,6
2
2,4
2,8
3,2
3,6
4

Extensometer

Uncertainty

Components

Combined
Uncertainty

k value

Expanded
Uncertainty

Calibration System
0,779
0,783
0,79
0,8
0,811
0,825
0,842
0,861
0,881
0,904

Repeatability
0,29
0,34
0,35
0,37
0,33
0,35
0,46
0,42
1,00
1,07

Temperature
0,014
0,028
0,042
0,055
0,069
0,083
0,097
0,111
0,125
0,139

uc
0,82
0,845
0,856
0,862
0,886
0,901
0,957
1,045
1,321
1,42

k value
1,97
1,99
1,99
1,98
2
1,99
2,02
2,11
2,31
2,45

U95
1,62
1,68
1,70
1,71
1,77
1,79
1,93
2,20
3,05
3,48

The uncertainty over the calibrated range then approximates to (1,45 + 0,45 L) m
where L is the deformation in mm.

Measurement uncertainty in extensometer calibration

Conclusion
The traceability of measurement results is mainly characterized by means of several key
factors: a) A continuous comparisons chain, b) The measurement uncertainty at each
chain link, c) The necessary reference to the SI units d) The frequency of comparisons
(calibrations, verifications, etc.).
In the paper a numerical example, relates specifically to the calibration of extensometers
in accordance with UNI EN ISO 9513 Calibration of Extensometers used in Uniaxial
testing is given. In the example, the calibrating device is a micrometer head and the
experimental results were obtained during a Laboratory Intercomparison (ILC) organized by the Italian NAB (SIT-INRIM). The uncertainty was estimated at a confidence
level of 95 % using ISO GUM methodology, in accordance with SIT requirements. The
uncertainty, over the calibrated range for the extensometer circulating between the accredited laboratories, can be approximates to (1,45 + 0,45 L) m where L is the deformation in mm
Acknowledgement
The author like to thank Dr. Alan Squirrel for the personal information in the field of
Extensometer calibration. given in the EA framework cooperation.

References
[1] UNI EN ISO 9513: Calibration of Extensometers used in Uniaxial testing
[2] EA-2/03 (EAL P7), EAL Interlaboratory comparison, edition 1 March 1996
[3] EA 10/04, Uncertainty of Calibration Results in force Measurements, (1998).
[4] International Vocabulary of Basic and General Terms in Metrology, second edition, 1993, International Organisation for Standardisation (Geneva, Switzerland).
[5] Sample uncertainty of measurement analysis: extensometer calibration, NATA
doc., first draft, March 2000
[6] EA-4/02: Expression of the Uncertainty of Measurement in Calibration, 1997
[7] ISO Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement, 1995, International
Organisation for Standardisation (Geneva, Switzerland).
[8] C. Ferrero, The EA Mechanical Measurement Activities: Accreditation of Calibration Laboratories and the Force and Torque Dissemination in Italy, International Symposium Metrology, Cuba, 2002, pp. 130-160