Digital Image Correlation for Specimens with Multiple Growing Cracks

Measuring the surface displacements of specimens having multiple, growing cracks is difficult with most implementations of the digital image correlation (DIC) method. This difficulty arises from the need to exclude the cracked area from the analysis, a process that oftentimes requires significant and time-consuming user input to achieve successful results. This work presents a set of modifications to the Newton-Raphson based DIC process that allows the method to automatically analyze specimens with multiple growing cracks. The modifications combine a relatively simple crack identification process that takes advantage of the consistency of quasi-regular speckle patterns with a method to reestablish the analysis in areas segregated by the crack growth. The use of a regular dot pattern does, however, introduce a greater chance for registration error in the correlation process. A method to minimize possible registration problems is also presented. Finally, the effectiveness of the method is demonstrated using images of concrete specimens with a complex and growing crack pattern.