Performance of iterative gradient-based algorithms with different intensity change models in digital image correlation

Abstract Digital image correlation (DIC) is a non-contact and powerful tool for whole-field displacement and strain measurement in modern optical metrology. In the DIC technique, the gradient-based algorithm is one of the most commonly used sub-pixel registration algorithms due to its effectiveness and accuracy. Thus, this algorithm has been further investigated and improved by many researchers to increase its accuracy. In the existing gradient-based algorithms, there are three relation models for the gray level intensity of a point in the undeformed and deformed images: namely the constant intensity model, the linear intensity change model and the non-linear intensity change model. However, little quantitative investigation has been conducted to compare their performance. In this paper, three iterative gradient-based algorithms are given using the corresponding intensity change model and the iterative least squares (ILS) solving method. The accuracy, robustness and computational efficiency of the three algorithms for intensity variation are investigated through numerical simulation experiments. The experimental results reveal that the algorithm generated using the non-linear intensity change model is the most accurate, robust and efficient of the three algorithms and the algorithms generated using the linear and non-linear intensity change models have approximately the same accuracy when the intensity variation is small between undeformed and deformed images.