Integrated-plane photoelastic method—Application of photoelastic isodynes

It has been shown by Pindera and Mazurkiewicz that a new type of scattered-light modulation in the plane of a two-dimensional photoelastic object can be obtained when the stationary integrated photoelastic method developed by Pindera and Straka is applied in a scanning mode and when the transfer function of the photoelastic system satisfies certain conditions. The new type of light modulation, called field of isodynes by the authors, carries information on stress components normal to the direction of propagation of primary beam, and on corresponding total-force component. The points where this stress component is equal to zero can be easily determined. The classical scattered-light modulation along a chosen line represents a cross section of a corresponding isodynes field. It is shown that these features of the method of isodynes make it possible to easily determine the distribution and values of normal stress components at any arbitrary rectilinear cross section, and to check immediately the accuracy of measurements. The experimental determination of contact stresses and contact regions using the method of isodynes is especially simple and elegant.