Comparison between digital image correlation and thermoelasticity for strain field analysis

Abstract

The non contact measurement technique known as "Digital Image Correlation" (DIC) is a well known experimental method to analyze strain field on the surface of specimen and mechanical components, and since about 1980, for the development of high performance data processing and image acquisition systems, with a large number of applications in experimental mechanics. In this work, using the most recent data acquisition and processing techniques , performance and optimal selection of data acquisition and processing parameter are analyzed. To better understand the performance of this technique a comparison with thermoelastic images has been performed. The thermoelastic effect is usually used to investigate the stress field on surface of specimen or mechanical components (TSA: thermoelastic Stress Analysis) and can be demonstrated that this technique (TSA) can be useful to investigate the strain field too. This allow a direct comparison of results collected with DIC and thermoelastic strain analysis. Comparisons are performed measuring the first invariant of strain field on the surface of an AISI 304 thin test specimen with an hole on its center. © 2010 American Institute of Physics.