Digital image correlation applications in composite automated manufacturing, inspection, and testing

Abstract

Since its advent in the 1970s, digital image correlation (DIC) applications have been rapidly growing in different engineering fields including composite material testing and analysis. DIC combined with a stereo camera system offers full-field measurements of three-dimensional shapes, deformations (i.e., in-plane and out-of-plane deformations), and surface strains, which are of most interest in many structural testing applications. DIC systems have been used in many conventional structural testing applications in composite structures. However, DIC applications in automated composite manufacturing and inspection are scarce. There are challenges in inspection of a composite ply during automated manufacturing of composites and in measuring transient strain during in-situ manufacturing of thermoplastic composites. This article presents methodologies using DIC techniques to address these challenges. First, a few case studies where DIC was used in composite structural testing are presented, followed by development of new applications for DIC in composite manufacturing and inspection.