Fabrication and optimization of micro-scale speckle patterns for digital image correlation

Experimental investigations are performed on the fabrication and optimization of micro-scale speckle patterns formed by spinning an epoxy resin and powder for digital image correlation measurements. New factors influencing the fabrication process, including the ambient temperature, centrifugal velocity, and solidifying time, are carefully analyzed and are evaluated in terms of the average gray gradient and particle agglomeration, and the optimal micro-scale speckle pattern is obtained with the proposed parameters in the fabrication process. Additionally, the micro-scale speckle pattern is experimentally verified by performing prescribed rigid-body translation tests, and the relative errors are approximately 1.5%. Finally, the micro-scale speckle patterns are transferred to tensile specimens of aluminum and a polymer material with a V notch. The measurement results are consistent with the theoretical predictions, and this agreement demonstrates the feasibility and accuracy of the micro-scale speckle patterns.