Digitally whole-field analysis of isoclinic parameter in photoelasticity by four-step color phase-shifting technique

This paper presents a whole-field method for automatic determination of the isoclinic parameter φ in photoelasticity. The method determines φ in the true phase interval (-π/2<φ+π/2) based on the four-step color phase-shifting approach and a new unwrapping method based on simple logic operations, a binary image and a gray-scale mask. A plane polariscope with a white light source is used for capturing raw photoelastic fringe images. The theoretical validation of the method is done with the problem of a circular disk under compression. Comparisons between theoretical and experimental results are also demonstrated. The experimental confirmation for the proposed method is tested with the photoelastic model having an isotropic point(s) and/or a singular point(s). The results show the method permits the reliable isoclinic parameter to be determined in the true phase interval with almost no defects of the isochromatic parameter.