Apparatus and method for determining stress and strain in pipes, pressure vessels, structural members and other deformable bodies

Abstract

A method and apparatus for measuring stress and strain associated with a pipe, pressurized vessel, structural member or deformable body containing a flaw or stress concentration utilizes a laser beam to illuminate a surface being analyzed and an optical data digitizer to sense a signal provided by the light beam reflected from the illuminated surface. One signal is received from the surface in a reference condition and subsequent signals are received from the surface after surface deformation. The optical data digitizer provides the received signal to an image processor, and the processor stores the signals and correlates the deformed image received with the reference image and then sends this correlated information to a minicomputer which performs mathematical analyses of the signal to determine stress and strain associated with the surface. The apparatus is constructed as one integral unit, and further includes a digital and tape display, as well as a television monitor and an electro-optic range indicator.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.