Full-field measurement with nanometric accuracy of 3D superficial displacements by digital profile correlation: A powerful tool for mechanics of materials

In recent decades, technological innovations have prompted the development of pioneering materials that attempt to satisfy new and forthcoming needs. The innovation in these materials is usually from their peculiar properties, which in many cases make them uniquely appropriate for a specific application. In this context, the development of innovative measurement techniques can provide more comprehensive understanding and knowledge of these materials’ properties, often non-conventional and not easily retrieved by standard procedures. In order to obtain a full-field 3D displacement vector of a surface under investigation, the author proposes the combination of two well-known measurement techniques: the Confocal Microscopy (CM) and the two-dimensional Digital Image Correlation (2D-DIC). Specifically, CM has demonstrated its ability to successfully attain microscopic topography on a highly finished surface with sub-micrometric roughness, and such a technique could be used as a carrier to successfully apply the 2D-DIC algorithm. By this approach, it is not difficult to reach an accuracy of a few nanometers on the displacement measurement. The feasibility of the procedure proposed herein was demonstrated by two case studies: a tensile test of a Ni-alloy edge crack specimen, and a hardness test carried out on a thick AISI 1040 disk.