SHEAROGRAPHY

THE PROPOSED RESEARCH WILL DEMONSTRATE THE APPLICATION OF A NOVEL NON-DESTRUCTIVE EVALUATION TECHNIQUE KNOWN AS SHEAROGRAPHY IN FLAW DETECTION AND CHARACTERIZATION IN STUCTURAL MATERIALS. THIS NOVEL TECHNIQUE EMPLOYS A MONO CHROMATIC LIGHT SOURCE (E.G. A LASER) AND AN OPTICAL DE DETECTION SCHEME TO REVEAL, DISCERN AND CHARATERIZE ANY ST STRESS AND STRAIN CONCENTRATION INDUCED BY DEFECTS IN MA MATERIALS. THIS SHEAROGRAPHIC METHOD IS SUPERIOR TO OTHER OPTICAL OR ULTRASONIC APPROACHES IN THAT IT IS NON-CONTACT, HIGH-SPEED, FULL-FIELD AND PROVIDES EASILY INTERPRETABLE OUTPUTS. IN ADDITION, PORTABLE AND FIELD DEPLOYABLE DETECT ION INSTRUMENTS BASED ON SHEAROGRAPHY CAN BE CONSTRUCTED RELATIVELY ECONOMICALLY TO FUNCTION IN THE AEROSPACE OR INDUSTRIAL ENVIRONMENT.