Characterization of the strain-life fatigue properties of thin sheet metal using an optical extensometer

•An optical extensometer is used for dynamic strain measurement in fatigue strain-life test.•Sequential images can be recorded at 10 Hz using a common imaging system.•A complete strain-life curve has been obtained for thin sheet steel.

Characterizing the strain-life fatigue behavior of thin sheet metals is often challenging since the required specimens have short gauge lengths to avoid buckling, thereby preventing the use of conventional mechanical extensometers. To overcome this obstacle a microscopic optical imaging system has been developed to measure the strain amplitude during fatigue testing using Digital Image Correlation (DIC). A strategy for rapidly recording images is utilized to enable sequential image sampling rates of at least 10 frames per second (fps) using a general digital camera. An example of a complete strain-life fatigue test for thin sheet steel under constant displacement control is presented in which the corresponding strain within the gage section of the specimen is measured using the proposed imaging system. The precision in strain measurement is assessed and methods for improving the image sampling rates in dynamic testing are discussed.