Damage assessment of thin-walled metallic structures using projection-based stereo DIC

This PhD research aims at extending projection-based stereo Digital Image Correlation (psDIC) in such a way that it can be used to evaluate macroscopic damage in thin-walled metallic structures. Currently, psDIC is confined to reconstruct the shape of a macroscopic damage, such as a dent in a fuselage panel caused by a bird strike. The main research questio n is how to reconstruct the strain field within the damaged region based on the reconstructed shape using psDIC, and the damage-free shape of the thin-walled structure. The latter information can be retrieved from the CAD model of the structure. Once the strain field can be reliably reconstructed, and the constitutive material behavior is known, the residual stress field can be reconstructed. This would pave the way for an extended damage assessment and an improved prediction of the remaining useful life of the damage thin-walled structure.