Single-step scanner-based digital image correlation (SB-DIC) method for large deformation mapping in rubber

The incremental digital image correlation (DIC) method has been applied in the past to determine strain in large deformation materials like rubber. This method is, however, prone to cumulative errors since the total displacement is determined by combining the displacements in numerous stages of the deformation. In this work, a method of mapping large strains in rubber using DIC in a single-step without the need for a series of deformation images is proposed. The reference subsets were deformed using deformation factors obtained from the fitted mean stress-axial stretch ratio curve obtained experimentally and the theoretical Poisson function. The deformed reference subsets were then correlated with the deformed image after loading. The recently developed scanner-based digital image correlation (SB-DIC) method was applied on dumbbell rubber specimens to obtain the in-plane displacement fields up to 350% axial strain. Comparison of the mean axial strains determined from the single-step SB-DIC method with those from the incremental SB-DIC method showed an average difference of 4.7%. Two rectangular rubber specimens containing circular and square holes were deformed and analysed using the proposed method. The resultant strain maps from the single-step SB-DIC method were compared with the results of finite element modeling (FEM). The comparison shows that the proposed single-step SB-DIC method can be used to map the strain distribution accurately in large deformation materials like rubber at much shorter time compared to the incremental DIC method.     

Dual-beam phase shift shearography for measurement of in-plane strains

This paper presents a shearographic technique for measuring in-plane strains. During the measurement, the test object is illuminated alternately with two laser beams, symmetrically with respect to the viewing direction. Employing a phase shift technique, the phase distributions due to object deformation for each beam are determined separately. The difference of the two phase distributions depicts the derivative of in-plane surface displacements. The technique is equivalent to a system of many strain gages.     

Strain field denoising for digital image correlation using a regularized cost-function

In digital image correlation (DIC), the widely used forward-additive Newton–Raphson (FA-NR) algorithm and the recently introduced equivalent but more efficient inverse-compositional Gauss–Newton (IC-GN) algorithm are capable of providing both displacements and displacement gradients (strains) for each calculation point. However, the obtained displacement gradients are seriously corrupted by various noises, and for this reason these directly computed strains are usually considered as useless information and therefore discarded. To extract strain distributions more accurately, much research efforts have been dedicated to how to smooth and differentiate the noisy displacement fields using appropriate numerical approaches. In this contribution, contrary to these existing strain estimation approaches, a novel and alternative strain estimation approach, based on denoising the noisy strain fields obtained by FA-NR or IC-GN algorithm using a regularized cost-function, is proposed. The effectiveness and practicality of the proposed strain estimation technique is carefully examined using both computer-simulated images with imposed homogeneous and inhomogeneous deformation, and experimentally obtained images. Experimental results reveal that the strains obtained by the proposed method are comparable to those determined by post-processing of the displacement fields using conventional pointwise least squares strain estimation approach.     

3-D computer vision in experimental mechanics

Optical methods that give displacement or strain fields are now widely used in experimental mechanics. Some of the methods can only measure in-plane displacements/strains on planar specimens and some of them can give both in-plane and out-of-plane displacement/strain fields on any kind of specimen (planar or not). In the present paper, the stereovision technique that uses two cameras to measure 3-D displacement/strain fields on any 3-D object is presented. Additionally, a quite inclusive list of references on applications of stereovision (and 3-D DIC) to experimental mechanics is given at the end of the paper.     

Automated fine grid technique for measurement of large-strain deformation maps

The fine grid technique has been a standard engineering tool for measuring large strains for many years. The sample surface is marked with a grid, and the deformation of this grid allows the deformation of the sample to be monitored. However, it has never been easy quantitatively to analyse the strain across the whole of a specimen's surface. We describe here an automated approach in which digitised images of a sample prepared with a grid are analysed by the Fourier transform method. This provides phase maps which, when unwrapped, yield planes representing the two in-plane specimen coordinates. An iterative technique follows these deforming planes from one frame to the next as the specimen deforms, allowing displacement fields to be calculated. Numerical differentiation gives strains across the specimen surface. Gerchberg iteration is used to provide immunity to errors resulting from holes or tears in the specimen surface. The method is demonstrated on a propellant simulant containing burn holes (a cylinder of diameter 10 mm; grid PITCH = 76 μm), loaded in compression across a diameter. All in-plane components of strain are calculated up to strains of approximately one-third. Displacement accuracy is of order 1 μm.     

数字图像相关中基于位移场局部最小二乘拟合的全场应变测量

为了从含噪声的位移场中计算得到可靠的应变场,提出一种基于位移场局部最小二乘拟合的全场应变求解方法。介绍了数字图像相关方法的原理,阐述了基于位移场局部最小二乘拟合的全场应变求解方法,并讨论了计算区域边界、孔洞及裂纹附近区域等情况下的应变计算。对均匀变形和中心带圆孔的薄铝板拉伸实验的计算结果表明,该方法能有效地从原始位移场数据中提取全场应变信息。在均匀变形情况下应选择大的应变计算窗口,计算结果更逼近真值;在非均匀变形情况下,如果位移场中包含较强的噪声,则应选择较大的应变计算窗口,而位移场精度很高时可选择更小的应变计算窗口。     

An active imaging digital image correlation method for deformation measurement insensitive to ambient light

Varying ambient light may cause serious decorrelation effect in the images recorded using an ordinary optical imaging device, which prevent digital image correlation (DIC) from out-of-laboratory use. In this paper, we describe an easy-to-implement yet effective monochromatic light illuminated active imaging DIC method for obtaining high-quality images suitable for high fidelity deformation measurement. Experiments reveal that the active imaging DIC method is able to provide reliable and accurate measurements even though the ambient light has been seriously changed. The active imaging DIC method is promising for developing flexible and robust in situ deformation measurement systems for use in both laboratory and non-laboratory environment, and should therefore have more potential engineering applications.     

On the use of the digital image correlation method for heterogeneous deformation measurement of porous solids

In this paper, several crucial issues arising from the application of the digital image correlation (DIC) method to the measurement of heterogeneous deformation of porous solids are discussed. To handle samples with complex geometry, the performance of the two commonly employed DIC methods, namely the subset-based DIC and the finite-element based DIC methods are first evaluated and compared. A combined DIC approach and an adaptive DIC approach suitable for samples with discontinuities/holes are then proposed. Aluminum plates with circular holes subject to compressive loading are employed to evaluate the accuracy of the proposed methods. It has been found that in addition to other factors such as the number of pixels and speckle size, the orientation of the camera lens also plays an important role on the measurement accuracy. A calibration method for the adjustment of camera orientation is proposed, which leads to a good agreement between the experimentally measured displacements and finite element simulation results. Another finding of the presented work is that for relatively stiff specimens, the deformation of the loading system itself must be considered in order to obtain an accurate displacement.     

Experimental study on the micromechanical behavior of a PBX simulant using SEM and digital image correlation method

The micro-scale mechanical behavior of a polymer-bonded explosive (PBX) simulant was experimentally studied using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) imaging system and digital image correlation (DIC) method. The semi-circular bend (SCB) test was chosen for the study. During the testing, a series of SEM images of the specimen was acquired in situ. The natural micro-structural features of the specimen were used as random speckle pattern for DIC analysis. The displacement and strain fields at the area of interest were obtained by DIC. The deformation and damage of PBX were analyzed. Heterogeneous strain fields demonstrated the damage evolution underneath the specimen surface and predicted possible micro-crack growth. Based on the contour plots of the correlation coefficient, the formation and extension of microscopic cracks were quantitatively analyzed.     

基于单摄像机的三维位移测试方法

基于三维位移测量手段在工程技术领域的必要性和重要性,开展了基于单摄像机和数字图像相关的三维位移测试方法研究.基于图像位移场矢量中心和斜率与面内和离面位移的分别对应关系,采用Savitzky-Golay(SG)微分滤波器分离图像位移子区内的常数项与一次项,可实现物体三维位移分量的有效分离.以针孔摄像机成像模型为基础,开展了相应的数值模拟实验及悬臂梁端部受载的实验,发展了与三维线性变形对应的散斑图模拟方法,验证了基于二阶位移模式的牛顿-拉夫森迭代法的精度和适用性.数值模拟与实验结果均验证了三维位移测试方法用于实现物体三维位移重构的可行性和优越性.     

A study on the digital moiré technique with circular and radial gratings

A digital moiré technique with circular and radial gratings is proposed to measure in-plane displacement and strain distributions of soft materials in a polar coordinate system. By introducing the coordinate-transform technique, the concentric circles and radial lines in the Cartesian coordinate system are converted to cross gratings in a polar coordinate system. Then, the digital moiré fringes are generated using logical and filter operations on the one-bit binary images. Finally, the in-plane displacement distributions are obtained by means of the four step phase-shifting procedure. Also, the measurement principles and the basic procedures of the new digital moiré technique are explained in detail. An application for rubber sheet with a single-edge crack is studied, and the experimental results show that the presented method is feasible.     

云纹干涉法面内位移测量的光栅补偿方法研究

运用光的干涉与衍射理论，导出了对称入射光路云纹干涉法面内位移计量的基本公式。针对云纹干涉法在实际应用中易引入刚体位移对真实面内位移干扰这一棘手问题，设计了定量补偿面内位移和变形的非对称光栅补偿光路系统。由于采用高灵敏度基准光栅调节的方法，比螺旋测微器等纯机械方法具有众多优越性。本文分析了该补偿方法对面内正应变条纹梯度和面内剪应变条纹梯度的补偿原理和具体实施过程。本方法大大提高了云纹干涉法面内位移计量和补偿的可靠性。     

An improved method for shape measurement using two-dimensional digital image correlation

Shape measurement is a significant application of digital image correlation (DIC). An improved method that combines a rotatable plane mirror is proposed to measure the shape of an immovable object. In this method, two images, one before and the other after rotating the plane mirror, are obtained and then in-plane translation which related to the shape of the detected object can be calculated by the use of two-dimensional digital image correlation (2D DIC). The relationship between the in-plane translation and the shape of the object is described. Experimental results show that the proposed method is feasible for shape and distance measurement with high accuracy.     

Strain measurement of SU-8 photoresist by a digital image correlation method with a hybrid genetic algorithm

Digital image correlation (DIC) is a whole-field and non-contact strain measuring method. It could provide deformation information of a specimen by processing two digital images that are captured before and after the deformation. To search the deformed images, a hybrid genetic algorithm, in which a simulated annealing mutation process and adaptive mechanisms are added to the real-parameter genetic algorithm, is proposed in this work. To increase the accuracy and reliability of this method, some key parameters of this method are suggested. Then, this method is used to measure the strain during the micro tensile testing of SU-8 photoresist. In addition to the conventional single region, a double region is proposed to calculate the strain by DIC. The results indicate that while the strains obtained by single region are reasonable, those obtained by double region are accurate. Also the mechanical properties of SU-8 could be accurately obtained.     

A novel speckle pattern—Adaptive digital image correlation approach with robust strain calculation

Digital image correlation (DIC) has seen widespread acceptance and usage as a non-contact method for the determination of full-field displacements and strains in experimental mechanics. The advances of imaging hardware in the last decades led to high resolution and speed cameras being more affordable than in the past making large amounts of data image available for typical DIC experimental scenarios. The work presented in this paper is aimed at maximizing both the accuracy and speed of DIC methods when employed with such images. A low-level framework for speckle image partitioning which replaces regularly shaped blocks with image-adaptive cells in the displacement calculation is introduced. The Newton-Raphson DIC method is modified to use the image pixels of the cells and to perform adaptive regularization to increase the spatial consistency of the displacements. Furthermore, a novel robust framework for strain calculation based also on the Newton-Raphson algorithm is introduced. The proposed methods are evaluated in five experimental scenarios, out of which four use numerically deformed images and one uses real experimental data. Results indicate that, as the desired strain density increases, significant computational gains can be obtained while maintaining or improving accuracy and rigid-body rotation sensitivity.     

A fast digital image correlation method for deformation measurement

Fast and high-accuracy deformation analysis using digital image correlation (DIC) has been increasingly important and highly demanded in recent years. In literature, the DIC method using the Newton-Rapshon (NR) algorithm has been considered as a gold standard for accurate sub-pixel displacement tracking, as it is insensitive to the relative deformation and rotation of the target subset and thus provides highest sub-pixel registration accuracy and widest applicability. A significant drawback of conventional NR-algorithm-based DIC method, however, is its extremely huge computational expense. In this paper, a fast DIC method is proposed deformation measurement by effectively eliminating the repeating redundant calculations involved in the conventional NR-algorithm-based DIC method. Specifically, a reliability-guided displacement scanning strategy is employed to avoid time-consuming integer-pixel displacement searching for each calculation point, and a pre-computed global interpolation coefficient look-up table is utilized to entirely eliminate repetitive interpolation calculation at sub-pixel locations. With these two approaches, the proposed fast DIC method substantially increases the calculation efficiency of the traditional NR-algorithm-based DIC method. The performance of proposed fast DIC method is carefully tested on real experimental images using various calculation parameters. Results reveal that the computational speed of the present fast DIC is about 120-200 times faster than that of the traditional method, without any loss of its measurement accuracy     

Investigation of in-plane stresses on bolted flange joints using digital speckle pattern interferometry

Digital Speckle Pattern Interferometry (DSPI) is a promising field for a wide range of applications such as measurement of displacements/deformations, contouring, nondestructive testing, etc. It has holographic sensitivity and circumvents delays in photographic processing/filtering. Speckle correlation interferometry can be made sensitive to only one of the components of in-plane displacement by illuminating the object with two beams symmetric about the viewing axis and imaging along this axis using a viction. This configuration allows measurement of in-plane displacements independent of out-of-plane displacements.

In this paper, the in-plane deformation/stress distribution has been studied for a typical bolted flange joint of a pressure vessel using two beam illumination DSPI. The information obtained can be very useful in predicting the leakage behaviour of such joints employed in pressure vessels. Experimental investigations along with theoretical predictions are presented.     

Axially symmetrical stresses measurement in the cylindrical tube using DIC with hole-drilling

In this paper, a new method combining the digital image correlation (DIC) with the hole-drilling technology to characterize the axially symmetrical stresses of the cylindrical tube is developed. First, the theoretical expressions of the axially symmetrical stresses in the cylindrical tube are derived based on the displacement or strain fields before and after hole-drilling. Second, the release of the axially symmetrical stresses for the cylindrical tube caused by hole-drilling is simulated by the finite element method (FEM), which indicates that the axially symmetrical stresses of the cylindrical tube calculated by the cylindrical solution is more accuracy than that for traditionally planar solution. Finally, both the speckle image information and the displacement field of the cylindrical tube before and after hole-drilling are extracted by combining the DIC with the hole-drilling technology, then the axially symmetrical loading induced stresses of the cylindrical tube are obtained, which agree well with the results from the strain gauge method.     

Minute displacement and strain analysis using lensless Fourier transformed holographic interferometry

An optical system for lensless Fourier transformed holographic interferometry is constructed to enable the measurement of minute displacements from nanometers to micrometers scale and to obtain corresponding strain distributions using a CCD camera with poor spatial resolution. Since a Fourier spectrum of an object beam is recorded on a hologram in this technique, the image reconstruction is easily performed with a single pass of 2-D fast Fourier transformation. Then, the map of the phase difference over the whole field is obtained by comparing two images before and after deformation. A suitable and effective unwrapping process is, however, inevitably required since the phase difference distribution is wrapped from −π to π in this technique. For phase unwrapping, the maximum spanning tree method is adopted here, which seeks a spanning tree that maximizes overall edge weights given by the cross amplitude. In-plane and out-of-plane displacements are obtained separately from the phase difference distributions at one's request. Moreover, in-plain strain is easily calculated from the in-plane displacement distribution.     

数字散斑法在局域剪切带三维变形研究中的应用

在适当的温度、应变率和预变形下,合金材料的拉伸试验中,将会出现伴随应力锯齿形跌落的雪崩式剪切变形带,即波特文-勒夏特利埃(Portevin-Le Chatelier,PLC)效应。利用高速数字摄像系统(分辨力1000 frames/s)并结合数字散斑干涉法(Digital speckle pattern interferometry,DSPI)和数字散斑相关法设计了一套光学变形测量系统,实现了拉伸试验中对试件表面三维变形的实时、精确测量。利用该光学系统对铝铜合金试件在拉伸试验中产生的跳跃传播的局域剪切带瞬态成核过程进行捕捉。通过结合数字散斑相关法得到的面内变形定量结果和数字散斑干涉法得到的表现离面变形的条纹图,再现了剪切变形带成核和传播瞬间的三维变形过程。