Single-lens 3D digital image correlation system based on a bilateral telecentric lens and a bi-prism: validation and application.

By using the principle of stereovision, 3D digital image correlation (3D-DIC) can determine the 3D morphology and deformation of a target and has been widely used in experimental mechanics as a noncontact 3D measurement technique. To eliminate the limitations of the conventional 3D-DIC system, this study proposes a calibration-free single-lens 3D-DIC system based on a bilateral telecentric lens and a bi-prism. The performance of the proposed system is verified by tests of rigid-body translation along the out-of-plane direction. As a comparison, the same rigid-body translations are measured using a single-entocentric-lens 3D-DIC system. The results show that the measurement accuracy of the proposed system is higher than that of the entocentric-lens-based one. As an application, the proposed system is used to measure the thermal linear expansion of a ceramic plate at elevated temperatures. The reasonable measurement results verify its applicability in deformation measurements, even in high-temperature environments.