Observing Deformation and Fracture of Rock with Speckle Patterns

The high resolution technique of electronic speckle pattern interferometry (ESPI) can be very useful in determining deformation of laboratory specimens and identifying initiation of failure. The in-plane ESPI theory is described and the fringe pattern of the processed ESPI image is analyzed to determine deformation and crack opening displacement. Fringes on the ESPI image represent lines of equal intensity, which relate to surface displacement. An ESPI system was constructed and calibrated for measuring uni-directional displacements. Several types of the experiments, such as uniaxial compression and fracture testing, were conducted to demonstrate the utility of ESPI.