Microstructure Surface Reconstruction from SEM Images: An Alternative to Digital Image Correlation (DIC)
This provides a non-invasive 3D reconstruction method for material fatigue analysis, addressing limitations in existing techniques for researchers in materials science and engineering.
The paper tackles the problem of reconstructing 3D surface models of materials under fatigue testing, including depth and lateral motion from multiple views, enabling strain tensor mapping to predict failure. It achieves 3D measurements without invasive speckle patterns, offering an alternative to the 2D Digital Image Correlation method.
We reconstruct a 3D model of the surface of a material undergoing fatigue testing and experiencing cracking. Specifically we reconstruct the surface depth (out of plane intrusions and extrusions) and lateral (in-plane) motion from multiple views of the sample at the end of the experiment, combined with a reverse optical flow propagation backwards in time that utilizes interim single view images. These measurements can be mapped to a material strain tensor which helps to understand material life and predict failure. This approach offers an alternative to the commonly used Digital Image Correlation (DIC) technique which relies on tracking a speckle pattern applied to the material surface. DIC only produces in-plane (2D) measurements whereas our approach is 3D and non-invasive (requires no pattern being applied to the material).