We present results from our program on fringe linearization for double exposure holographic interferometry for the detection of defects in large areas of metal structures. A model is developed to simulate the expected holographic results, and its predictions are compared to the observations as an aid in refining this nondestructive evaluation procedure. The test specimens are aluminum plates containing circular holes and supported on three sides. Between holographic images a bending moment is applied across the hole. The specimens contain either a through cut or a part-through cut designed to approximate through and part-through cracks respectively. The interference holograms are created by double exposure. Between the first and second exposures the bending moment is applied, and the incident beam is rotated creating fringes which result from specimen deformation and beam rotation. The degree of beam rotation controls the extent to which the fringes are linearized. The supporting finite element modeling and analysis is performed using the ANSYS computer code and plate elements. Fringe linearization is accomplished by adding a rigid body deformation to the deformation field. We will discuss the excellent agreement between experimental FLI results and the finite element predictions for the case of a specimen with a part-through crack in the back surface and not optically visible.