Shadow Moiré method for the determination of the source position in three-dimensional shearography

Shearography is a full-field non-contact optical technique used for characterisation of surface strain. In a multi-component system, the displacement derivative components are measured using a number of illumination positions. These components are then transformed into a threedimensional coordinate system, using a knowledge of the source positions. This process is highly sensitive to errors in the knowledge of the source position. Shadow Moiré, with either linear or circular gratings, can be used to measure angle of illumination, with the measurement sensitivity and accuracy variable by changing the grating pitch. Circular gratings have a measurement range determined by multiple fringe analysis and linear gratings have a different measurement range determined by sub-fringe analysis. In this paper vertical linear, horizontal linear and circular gratings are combined to extend the measurement range and the accuracy of the measurement of the source position in two directions. Using this method the source position was measured to an accuracy of ±3%.