Normalization and noise-reduction algorithm for fringe patterns

This paper presents a fringe pattern normalization and noise-reduction algorithm. Locally the background noise is suppressed, the modulation normalized and the noise smoothed. An expression to calculate the cosine-only term is formulated. It is related to the directional derivatives of the intensity fringes. Two-dimensional Fourier series are used to calculate the parameters needed for the algorithm. Experimental work is presented using diffraction and ESPI images. The programming is relatively simple and involves mainly local convolutions. The processing time using a 2 GHz computer to normalize an image of 256 × 256 pixels is approximately one second.     

In situ calibration of a Michelson type, speckle-shearing interferometer: Wobbling mirror effect

In situ calibration of piezoelectric transducers in a phase stepping, Michelson type, speckle-shearing interferometer can be affected by mirror wobbling introduced by the transducers. When this happens, a modulation of the curves employed for calibration can be readily detected in imaging systems with large apertures. A calibration method that takes into account the modulation of these curves is, therefore, essential to insure the required regularity of the phase steps. A computer model of speckle-shearing interferometry is used to deal with piezoelectric non-linearities and mirror wobbling in the interferometer, and to show how the calibration curves are affected when both phenomena are present. Computer simulated and experimental results validate the calibration technique advanced here.     

Double shearography for engineering metrology: optical and digital approach

This paper presents a double shearographic configuration based on the optical method by using two Michelson interferometers in tandem. The problems associated with the extraction of second order derivatives by optical means and a comparison with the proposed novel approach by digital means are discussed in this paper.     

Simultaneous two-axis shearographic interferometer using multiple wavelengths and a color camera

Multi-component measurements in shearography and other applications of Electronic Speckle Pattern Interferometry (ESPI) are typically achieved using multiple optical configurations that are activated sequentially to measure each desired quantity separately. A novel optical setup is introduced here where orthogonal shearography measurements are simultaneously made using a single color-camera imaging multiple monochromatic light sources of different wavelengths. The Red–Green–Blue (RGB) sensors of a conventional Bayer type camera are read separately, thereby providing three independent color signals and independent ESPI phase maps. Orthogonal axis shearography is achieved using a modified shearography interferometer where a dichroic filter is added to provide a second wavelength-dependent measurement. The availability of the two surface slopes gives the opportunity for the data to be summed numerically to give the surface displacement shape. This application is of significant practical interest because the surface displacement measurement can be made under field conditions by taking advantage of the well-known optical stability of shearography measurements. The two simultaneously measured surface slopes also offer the possibility to mathematically compensate for non-uniformity and non-orthogonality in the image shear caused by mirror non-flatness and/or mirror misalignments.     

Measurement of pure curvature fringe distribution by using a double whole-field filtering technique

A double whole-field filtering technique to measure pure curvature fringe distribution of a deformed object is proposed. In this method, the slope fringes which are contained in the pattern of curvature fringes can be completely eliminated from the curvature fringes. Thus the pattern of pure curvature fringes with a good contrast can be obtained. Theoretical analysis and experimental results are given in this paper.     

Fringes demodulation in time-averaged digital shearography using genetic algorithms

This paper presents a phase recovery method, based on genetic algorithms, in time-average shearography. It is proved that a single Bessel fringe pattern obtained under a subtraction operation could be enough to calculate the phase. A merit function is solved iteratively using genetic operator like selection, reproduction and mutation. Experimental results are presented in this paper using a simple shearing system based on a Fresnel biprism.     

Analysis of an internal crack of pressure pipeline using ESPI and shearography

In this study, shearography and ESPI have been used for quantitative analysis of an internal crack of pipeline and both of them have proved to be suitable to qualitatively detect inside crack. However, shearography needs several critical? factors including the amount of shearing, shearing direction and induced load for the quantitative evaluation of the inside crack. In this study, the factors were optimized for the quantitative analysis and the size of cracks has been determined. Although the critical? factors in shearography have been optimized, it is difficult to determine the factors exactly because they are related to the details of cracks. On the other hand, ESPI is independent of the details of a crack and only the induced load plays an important role. The out-of-plane displacement was measured under the optimized load and the measured results were numerically differentiated, which resulted in an equivalent to the shearogram. The size of cracks can be determined quantitatively without any detail of a crack.     

Shadow Moiré method for the determination of the source position in three-dimensional shearography

Shearography is a full-field non-contact optical technique used for characterisation of surface strain. In a multi-component system, the displacement derivative components are measured using a number of illumination positions. These components are then transformed into a three-dimensional coordinate system, using a knowledge of the source positions. This process is highly sensitive to errors in the knowledge of the source position. Shadow Moiré, with either linear or circular gratings, can be used to measure angle of illumination, with the measurement sensitivity and accuracy variable by changing the grating pitch. Circular gratings have a measurement range determined by multiple fringe analysis and linear gratings have a different measurement range determined by sub-fringe analysis. In this paper vertical linear, horizontal linear and circular gratings are combined to extend the measurement range and the accuracy of the measurement of the source position in two directions. Using this method the source position was measured to an accuracy of ±3%.     

Simultaneous dual directional strain measurement using spatial phase-shift digital shearography

This paper presents a Dual Directional Sheared Spatial Phase-Shift Digital Shearography (DDS-SPS-DS) system for simultaneous measurement of strains/displacement derivative in two directions. Two Michelson Interferometers are used as the shearing device to create two shearograms, one in the x-shearing direction and one in the y-shearing direction, which are recorded by a single CCD camera. Two lasers with different wavelengths are used for illumination, and corresponding band pass filters are applied in front of each Michelson Interferometer to avoid cross-interference between the two shearing direction channels. Two perpendicular shearing directions in the two measurement channels introduce two different spatial frequency carriers whose spectrums are orientated in different directions after Fourier Transform. Phase maps of the recorded two shearograms can be obtained by applying a windowed inverse Fourier transform, which enables simultaneous measurement of dual directional strains/displacement derivatives. The new system is well suited for nondestructive testing and strain measurement with a continuous or dynamic load. The capability of the dual directional spatial phase-shift digital shearography system is described by theoretical discussions as well as experiments.     

Failure of thin films: Optical shearography versus electrochemical impedance spectroscopy

In the present work, the temperature versus thermal deformation (strain) with respect to time, of different coating films, was studied by a non-destructive technique (NDT) known as shearography. An organic coating, i.e., ACE Premium Enamel, on a metallic alloy, i.e., a carbon steel, was investigated at a temperature range simulating the severe weather temperatures in Kuwait, especially between the daylight and the nighttime temperatures, 20-60 °C. The investigation focused on determining the in-plane displacement of the coating, which amounts to the thermal deformation (strain) with respect to the applied temperature range. Furthermore, the investigation focused on determining the thermal expansion coefficients of coatings, the slope of the plot of the thermal deformation (strain) versus the applied temperature range. In other words, one could determine, from the decreasing value of the thermal expansion coefficients of coatings, a critical (steady state) value of the thermal expansion coefficients of coatings, in which the integrity of the coatings can be assessed with respect to time. In fact, determination of the critical (steady state) value of the thermal expansion coefficients of coatings could be accomplished independent of parameters, i.e., ultraviolet (UV) exposure, humidity, and exposure to chemical species, which normally are considered in conventional methods of assessing the integrity of coatings. Furthermore, results of shearography indicate that the technique is a very useful NDT method not only to determine the critical value of the thermal expansion coefficients of different coatings but also to be used as a 2D-microscope for monitoring the deformation of the coatings in real time at a submicroscopic scale. Also, the obtained data of the shearography technique were compared with data obtained by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) in an aqueous solution of 3% NaCl.