Photoelasticimetry: Upgrading an old technique

Abstract

Among the various strain measurement

techniques, photoelasticity is one of the

oldest and, in turn, more versatile and

powerful. In recent years, important

contributions are being carried out, which

are transforming this technique in a

modern measurement tool: software is

being developed to implement it easily

and without a highly skilled operator,

and standards have been developed for

the calibration of equipments, which will

allow express measurements with their

corresponding uncertainties, making

them valid, comparable and reproducible.

Moreover, signifi cant progresses are being

made in the use of stereolithography for

the manufacture of photoelastic models,

as well as their use for three-dimensional

analysis by tomographic photoelasticity.

This article describes all these contributions

in order to provide potential users the

understanding of the different photoelastic

techniques, the extent to which these are

developed and commercially available

and their application possibilities.