Stereo-DIC calibration and speckle image generator based on FE formulations

Stereo digital image correlation (stereo-DIC) is being accepted by the industry as a valid full-field measurement technique for measuring shape, motion and deformation, and it is therefore of utmost importance to provide uncertainties on the obtained measurements. However, the influences on a stereo-DIC measurement are not fully understood; indeed, stereo-DIC is a complex optical-numerical process and it is not always clear how errors are propagating throughout the measurement chain. In order to investigate the magnitude of the different error-sources a simulator for stereo-DIC is proposed. This simulator is able to generate realistic synthetic images as if they were made during a real set-up, so the error sources can be investigated separately and an optimal set-up can be chosen before any physical test is performed. We present in this paper the mathematical approach to the DIC simulator including details on how to convert FE displacement field results to stereo-DIC images. The simulator includes the ability to control the lighting and to create synthetic calibration images. The synthetic images are compared to simulations for a bulge test as a validation of the simulator. Synthetic calibration images are compared to experimental calibration studies to verify those. Finally a brief look at how the simulator could be used for looking at calibration quality is conducted.status: publishe