Benchmarking of depth of field for large out-of-plane deformations with single camera digital image correlation

•A methodology to define the depth-of-field in stereo DIC applications is proposed.•Results are based on actual image correlations.•Experimental approach leads to a wider depth-of-field than the theoretical approach.•The approach leads to an improved spatial resolution and correlation accuracy.

A problem that arises when performing stereo digital image correlation in applications with large out-of-plane displacements is that the images may become unfocused. This unfocusing could result in correlation instabilities or inaccuracies. When performing DIC measurements and expecting large out-of-plane displacements researchers either trust on their experience or use the equations from photography to estimate the parameters affecting the depth of field (DOF) of the camera. A limitation of the latter approach is that the definition of sharpness is a human defined parameter and that it does not reflect the performance of the digital image correlation system. To get a more representative DOF value for DIC applications, a standardised testing method is presented here, making use of real camera and lens combinations as well as actual image correlation results. The method is based on experimental single camera DIC measurements of a backwards moving target. Correlation results from focused and unfocused images are compared and a threshold value defines whether or not the correlation results are acceptable even if the images are (slightly) unfocused. By following the proposed approach, the complete DOF of a specific camera/lens combination as function of the aperture setting and distance from the camera to the target can be defined. The comparison between the theoretical and the experimental DOF results shows that the achievable DOF for DIC applications is larger than what theoretical calculations predict. Practically this means that the cameras can be positioned closer to the target than what is expected from the theoretical approach. This leads to a gain in resolution and measurement accuracy.