A novel plasma spraying method, direct write thermal spray (DWTS), is demonstrated for strain gauge manufacturing. Sprayed and laser finished strain gauges were subjected to cyclic loading and performance was compared with that of commercial strain gauges. The main differences observed are in sensitivity and zero point drift and it is suggested that these differences can be significantly reduced. Thus, it is proposed that DWTS is a potential novel method for strain gauges integration within strained structures for monitoring purposes.
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