3D-DIC METHOD IN STRUCTURAL HEALTH MONITORING OF PRESSURE VESSELS

Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) technologies are an important part of the system for detection and characterization of any type of damages of engineering structures. Various technologies have been applied in different engineering sectors in last several decades – strain gauges, acoustic emission, fibre optic sensors, etc. One of the methods that has a high potential for application in sector of pressure vessels, especially on complex geometrical parts, is 3D Digital Image Correlation (3D-DIC) method. 3D-DIC method enables full-field displacement and strain measurement. The aim of this paper was to investigate the possibilities of application of the Aramis system (GOM, Germany) based on 3D-DIC method on several cases typical for pressure vessels and its influence on structural health – crack detection and crack propagation monitoring and stress concentration areas of complex structures in the vessel-nozzle joint (sphere to cylinder and cylinder to cylinder connections). Aramis software was used to measuring von Mises strain fields and displacements. The results showed that 3D-DIC method is suitable for structural health monitoring of pressure vessels during their lifespan.