Digital volume correlation analysis for a cross-ply laminated composite structure using a fully 3D-based correlation algorithm

Abstract

Digital volume correlation (DVC) technique is applied to map a three-dimensional (3D) displacement field on the volume of interest in a unidirectionally continuous fiber-reinforced laminated composite imaged through a high-resolution X-ray microscope. A new fully three-dimensional correlation algorithm is developed to overcome the deficiencies of the typical DVC technique that is based on the two-dimensional (2D) digital image correlation (DIC) algorithm. The accuracy of the present DVC algorithm is demonstrated using tomographic images of a composite specimen subjected to a tensile load. Subsurface 3D displacement field of the loaded composite specimen is computed using both the present DVC method and the conventional process. It is shown that the present correlation algorithm produces far more reliable results over the typical DVC process.