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

#1. Field of the Invention

#The present invention generally relates to an apparatus and method of measuring and analyzing the deformation of deformable bodies which includes a source of an electromagnetic or acoustical signal emitted from a deformable body which can be received and analyzed so that the signal can be analyzed when the body is in a reference state with the signal being subsequently analyzed when the body is undergoing or has undergone deformation with the reference state signal and deformation state signal being compared and analyzed to provide significant information with respect to various characteristics of the body.

#2. Information Disclosure Statement

#FIG. 1 is a pictorial representation of the apparatus and method of the present invention.

#FIG. 2 is a schematic view of components of the invention.

#FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the invention used in relation to a coronary artery.

#The operational and functional theory on which the present invention is based is disclosed in the parent applications and this material is included herein by reference thereto. FIG. 1 illustrates schematically the apparatus and method of measuring and analyzing deformation of a body, object, surface or other entity which is indicated by reference numeral 12 and illustrated as a surface which will emit, transmit, reflect or otherwise provide a signal or signals 14 received by a digitizer 16 which includes a solid state video camera or other appropriate transducer or the like which senses a speckle pattern 20 which is digitized at 22 to provide a digitized speckle pattern 24. As illustrated, an electromagnetic source such as incident light 26 is directed toward the body 12 and impinges on a critical area 28 so that the signal 14 produces a speckle pattern 20. Thus, the body 12 will provide a speckle pattern when in a reference state and a displaced or altered speckle pattern when in a deformed state so that the displacement or alteration of the speckle patterns can be measured, analyzed and correlated to provide significant information with respect to the properties or characteristics of the body 12.

#The digitize speckled pattern 24 is input into a computer 30 having particular hardware and software components to translate the digitized signals into a light or amplitude intensity surface 32 which is characteristic of the body or surface 12 at a given instant of time with a subsequent light or amplitude intensity surface being designated by numeral 34 thereby enabling comparison of the light or amplitude intensity surfaces 32 and 34 to determine change in the body or surface 28 to enable various characteristics of the body or surface 28 to be determined such as deformation, displacement, dimensional changes, discontinuity or other characteristics of the body. The components other than the signal source and body are shown schematically in FIG. 2 which illustrates the association of the camera or appropriate transducer 18, digitizer 22, software, computer 30, a power supply 36 and a printer plotter 38 with the components, except the software, being commercially available products.

#As indicated previously, the basis of the operation and function of this invention is disclosed in the parent applications. However, in order to provide clear basis for the specific mode of use disclosed in FIG. 3, a synopsis of the operation and function is set forth hereinafter.