摘要 |
In accordance with the present invention, a photoelastic layer for detecting stress and strain is described. The photoelastic layer comprises a photoelastic material that when strained refracts light anisotropically. The photoelastic layer further comprises an integrated polarizer attached on top of the photoelastic material. Also in accordance with the present invention, a photoelastic monitoring device is described for structural monitoring. The photoelastic monitoring device is made out of a photoelastic material or comprises a photoelastic material attached to a base material. The photoelastic monitoring device further comprises an integrated polarizer attached or coated directly over at least a portion of the photoelastic material. The photoelastic monitoring device is designed to be attached to a structure or a part. The monitoring device is attached to the structure in such a way that stresses and strains from the structure are transmitted into the photoelastic monitoring device. When a certain predetermined stress or strain is reached, the monitoring device may deform plastically. The plastic deformation can then be detected in the photoelastic material using the integrated polarizer. Also in accordance with the present invention, a method is described for photoelastic analysis. The method comprises providing a photoelastic material to be analyzed for stresses and strains. An integrated polarizer is attached directly on top of at least a portion of the photoelastic material. The integrated polarizer is attached in such a way such that the photoelastic material can be illuminated with regular light through the integrated polarizer, and such that light can be reflected back through the photoelastic material and back through the integrated polarizer to the observer or the detector. The method comprises illuminating the polarizer with light, and viewing the reflections of light that have traveled through the integrated polarizer, through the photoelastic material, and been reflected back through the photoelastic material and back through the integrated polarizer. Observing or detecting fringe patterns in the reflected light indicate the presence of strain or plastic deformation in the photoelastic material.
|