The technique of digital image correlation to identify defects in glass structures

The article describes an experiment using the technique of digital image correlation (DIC) to identify and analyse defects in glass structures. The investigation involved three sets of glass structures, that is, float glass sheets, with or without any defects and subjected to bearing tests. The DIC technique perfectly identified not only the position and size of the defect but also the magnitude of deformations around the defect itself. Low stress values also indicate that strains concentrate around the defects. This enables the DIC method to be used to investigate the quality of glass elements, to detect the presence of defects and to monitor the most critical structural elements. The results obtained with the DIC technique were confirmed by comparing them with data gathered from the analysis of the fracture surface. Copyright (c) 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.