Optical Strain Measurement (OSM)

University of Alberta — Dean’s Research Award (DRA) Project

Problem

Traditional strain measurement methods (extensometers, strain gauges, LVDTs) can be fragile, expensive, difficult to apply. Further, when tha materials being tested are fragile or too soft it becomes near imposible to gather an accurate measurement. For these testing situations there was a need for a non-contact method to accurately measure strain.

Approach

• Designed a MatLab-based program that is able to determine the strain from a sequence of images or video file.

• Implemented custom Image-Processing algorithms to track elongation in test specimens, eliminating the need for physical strain gauges.

• Created a graphical user interface to simplify use and allow for real-time feedback during measurement.

Result

Developed OSM: Classic, a robust and low-cost strain measurement tool that enables accurate, non-contact strain measurement.

Ongoing Impact

Released the code as open-source software for others to freely use and adapt — [Link].

Program is published through a peer-reviewed publication for easier attibution — [Link].

Paper

Presentation