Analysis of interpolation schemes for image deformation methods in PIV

Image deformation methods in particle image velocimetry are becoming more and more accepted by the scientific community but some aspects have not been thoroughly investigated neither theoretically nor with the aid of simulations. A fundamental step in this type of algorithm is reconstruction of the deformed images that requires the use of an interpolation scheme. The aim of this paper is to examine the influence of this aspect on the accuracy of the PIV algorithm. The performance assessment has been conducted using synthetic images and the results show that both the systematic and total errors are strongly influenced by the interpolation scheme used in the reconstruction of the deformed images. Time performances and the influence of particle diameter are also analysed.