Photoelastic methods wiki

The general aim of this group is to share different projects on how to make, image, analyze and use photoelastic materials.

A lot of publications have been written on these topics but here we go into details, we show each method step by step, we give tips, and you can ask specific questions and get answers...

Direct links

For those who knows what they are looking for, here is the list of the main pages accessible in this wiki:

• Theoretical aspects on the photoelasticimetry
• The methods to make photoelastic samples:
  • Cutting samples out of a sheet
  • Molding samples with urethane
  • Molding samples from gels
  • 3D printed samples
• The methods to image loaded photoelastic materials:
  • Using different wavelengths
  • Using transmission photoelasticity method
  • Using reflection photoelasticity method
  • Using terahertz photoelasticity method
• The methods to post-process images:
  • Detect and follow particles
  • Analysing qualitative image intensity
  • Computing the G^2 to get average stress
  • Inverting the problem to get force measurements
• Gallery
• Questions and answers

What is the global purpose of this group?

Photoelasticity is a fantastic way to see what is usually invisible in mechanics: strain and stress. It can be used for educational, scientific, industrial and even artistic purposes. However, it is not always easy to understand how it works, with which material and how to image it. The purpose of this wiki is to give an overview of the different methods to deal with photoelasticity:

• How to make samples?
• How to image?
• How to analyze data?

This wiki is mainly managed by people interested in granular physics so most of the examples and methods given here are dedicated to the experimental study of granular matter. It does not mean that people interested in a different field will not find what they are looking for about photoelasticity. It just means that people interested or willing to study the marvellous and mysterious world of granular matter can find many details about how to set-up and run an experiment with photoelastic particles and how to post-process images.
The different sections of this wiki refer to many scientific publications. This wiki itself is directly linked to a review paper to be published in Granular Matter. We also report here this very nice review paper on imaging methods in granular physics. Both papers deal with most of the points detailed in this wiki.

Who is participating to this group?

Here is the list of people and institutions who make this wiki alive. Please, fill free to join us if you want to share your experience about photoelasticimetry. The information shared here represents many years of research, so please, remember to acknowledge this work by citing this wiki or the different publications if you use informations you have found here for research. For other users please refer to the terms of the licence.

Why should I participate to this group?

We have chosen a wiki framework on top of a classical publication because we believe that it permits for a lot of people to continuously bring their knowledge and answer to other people wandering about the different methods.

How can I participate to this group?

You can have something to bring to the group or you can simply have something to ask. In this case send an email to jb[â]jonathan-bares.eu to create an account.