PHOTOELASTIC ELEMENT

摘要

The invention relates to inspection technology and is used for measuring deformations (strains) in various structures. The present photoelastic element is cruciform in plan view. The front surfaces of the element are parallel to the direction of applied forces and are optically flat. The side surfaces have a constant or variable radius of curvature. When a load to be measured is applied along one of the axes of the element, additional strains arise in the centre part of the element, resulting in an additional phase difference between the mutually perpendicular polarization components of the light passing through the photoelastic element and thus providing an increase in the sensitivity of the photoelastic element to loads.