High sensitivity moiré interferometry with compact achromatic interferometry

Abstract Experimental observations and measurements are the sources of information essential for correct development of mathematical models of real structural materials. Moire interferometry offers high sensitivity in full-field measurements of in-plane displacements on the surface of a specimen. Although it is a powerful method in experimental stress analysis, it has some shortcomings. One is that existing systems require highly coherent light. The only sufficient source of light for this application is a long cavity laser, which is relatively expensive and at best cumbersome. Another shortcoming is that measurements must be performed in a vibration-free environment, such as that found on a holographic table. These requirements limit the use of existing moire interferometers to a holographic laboratory. In this paper a modified concept of compensation is presented, which permits the use of a chromatic source of light in a compact moire system. The compensator provides order in the angles of incident light for each separate wavelength, so that the virtual reference grating created by each wavelength in a continuous spectrum is identical in frequency and spatial position. The result is a virtual reference grating that behaves exactly like that created in coherent light. With this development the use of a laser diode, which is a non-coherent light source of tiny dimensions, becomes practical. The special configuration of the optics that create the virtual grating allows its synchronization with the specimen grating and leads to an interferometer design that is relatively insensitive to the vibrations found in a mechanical testing laboratory. Sensitivity to relative motion is analyzed theoretically. This development provides the oppurtunity to apply moire interferometry to solid mechanics problems that cannot be studied in an optics laboratory. Experimental verification of the optical concepts is provided. A compact moire interferometer based on the presented idea was developed for measurements of deformation on a testing machine. Its application in both coherent and temporally non-coherent light is demonstrated.