Towards Automated Tracking of Initiation and Propagation of Cracks in Aluminium Alloy Coupons Using Thermoelastic Stress Analysis

摘要

Full-field non-destructive evaluation techniques are useful tools for indicating damage in fatigue-prone environments. Here, the full-field technique thermoelastic stress analysis (TSA) is employed to locate and track naturally initiating cracks in aluminium alloy specimens. An algorithm, based on the concept of optical flow, is used to track changes in the characteristic stress field present ahead of a crack during loading, and thereby to locate the crack-tip position. The initiation of cracks is indicated at sub-mm lengths, before the crack is observable by visual inspection, and in bolted specimens TSA indicates the presence of a crack before it extends beyond the bolt-head. The crack path propagation is mapped and matches well with the final crack geometry. Results are equivalent for surfaces prepared with matt black and aircraft primer paint, showing that optical flow processing of TSA data would be particularly useful for crack tracking in aerospace applications, as no additional surface preparation would be required to implement full-field TSA measurements.