Un nuovo algoritmo di unwrapping temporale della fase per la fotoelasticità automatica

Photoelastic stress analysis is a full field technique able to identify the stress field inside a specimen. Although it is nowadays a mature technique, its automation is still not completed and several researchers are working on this topic [1,2]. The growing processing capabilities of modern computers (larger memory space, higher processor speed, better cameras) and its ability to be used to analyze the stress configuration in rapid prototyping specimens [2], renewed the attention of researchers on this technique in the last years. A critical point in photoelastic stress analysis is the phase unwrapping. Up to now, algorithms developed for different applications were used. However several problems encountered during the unwrapping of photoelastic phase fields are specific to the technique. In this paper a new temporal phase unwrapping algorithm, specifically designed to be used in combination with photoelasticity, is presented, showing that it presents several advantages with regards to the existent solutions.