Study on the Improvement of the Image Analysis Speed in the Digital Image Correlation Measurement System for the 3-Point Bend Test

Machine material and structural strain are critical factors for appraising mechanical properties and safety. Particularly in three and four-point bending tests, which appraise the deflection and flexural strain of an object due to external force, measurements are made by the crosshead movement or deflection meter of a universal testing machine. The Digital Image Correlation (DIC) method is one of the non-contact measurement methods. It uses the image analyzing method that compares the reference image with the deformed image for measuring the displacement and strain of the objects caused by external force. Accordingly, the advantage of this method is that the object's surface roughness, shape, and temperature have little influence. However, its disadvantage is that it requires extensive time to compare the reference image with the deformed image for measuring the displacement and strain. In this study, an algorithm is developed for DIC that can improve the speed of image analysis for measuring the deflection and strain of an object caused by a three-point bending load. To implement this algorithm for improving the speed of image analysis, LabVIEW 2010 was used. Furthermore, to evaluate the accuracy of the developed fast correlation algorithm, the deflection of an aluminum specimen under a three-point bending load was measured by using the universal test machine and DIC measurement system.