Material Testing by Strain Distribution Visualization– DIC Analysis –

Introduction

Strain distribution in samples is an increasingly important component of material testing. As background to this trend, CAE (Computer Aided Engineering) is an analytical technology that is becoming widely used in the fields of science and industry due to the cost savings achieved through the reduced use of costly prototyping which is now being replaced by computerized product design simulation. A typical requirement is to conduct mechanical testing analysis of the region of a product in which strain is likely to occur, and to elucidate the correlation between the simulated analysis results and the strain distribution obtained in actual mechanical testing. DIC (Digital Image Correlation) analysis is a technique used to compare the random patterns on the surface of a test sample before and after deformation to determine the degree of deformation of the sample. The advantages of this technique include the ability to measure displacement and strain distribution from a digital image without having to bring a sensor into contact with a test sample, and without requiring a complicated optical system. For these reasons, application development for DIC analysis is expanding into a wide range of fields in which measurement using existing technologies*1 has been difficult. Here we introduce examples of DIC analysis of CFRP (Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic) and ABS resin high- speed tensile impact testing.

December 28, 2012 GMT