Applications of modern automated photoelasticity to industrial problems

The very latest advances in modern photoelastic analysis techniques now offer the opportunity to carry out real-time stress monitoring of components or structures. No more time-consuming complex coating applications, no more time consuming manual reading of fringes- a simply applied, quick cure coating and a fully automated polariscope system linked to a high speed CCD camera can monitor changing stress patterns as they happen. The old, time-consuming, high skill requirement, photoelastic technique is finally bought up to date and offers a unique efficient full-field dynamic stress analysis method. This paper highlights the advantages of automated photoelastic stress analysis with examples of its use and introduces a new dynamic photoelastic system and the wide potential for its further use.