Launching the foil strain gage KFV-2-350-C1 for use under hydrogen gas environment and bonding and measurement support services

2013/12/17

Kyowa Electronic Instruments Co., Ltd. (President: Yoshio Hoshi) will market the foil strain gage that enables stable strain measurement under high-pressure hydrogen gas environment. Also, KYOWA offers bonding and measurement support services for the gage.

To realize hydrogen energy society, the safety of hydrogen energy system for 70-MPa fuel cell vehicles or hydrogen station should be improved. For the purpose, safety of the materials used for the hydrogen energy system should be assured. That is, the important issue is the measure against hydrogen embrittlement that affects the tensile strength and fatigue strength of the metal material. Research and development concerning hydrogen embrittlement requires strain measurement with strain gages. With conventional strain gages, the resistive foil is affected by hydrogen and changes in electric resistance under no-load condition in high-pressure hydrogen gas environment, thereby disabling stable strain measurement.

Development of the new strain gage has been promoted by receiving technical support of specially-appointed professor Saburo Matsuoka and associate professor Junichiro Yamabe, HYDROGENIUS, Kyushu University under the joint research with NEDO in 2010 to 2012.

From 2013, receiving continuous technical support of associate professor Juichiro Yamabe, KYOWA successfully commercialized the new strain gage.

We believe that use of the new strain gages enables stable strain measurement under high-pressure hydrogen gas environment and safety assurance of FCV and hydrogen station, thereby contributing to realization of hydrogen energy society.

Based on a corporate statement "Move into the future with reliable measurements," KYOWA is promoting new product development and service activities to cope with varieties of customers' needs.