Electronic Speckle Pattern Interferometry Technique for the Measurement of Complex Mechanical Structures for Aero-Spatial Applications

Using the electronic speckle pattern interferometry (ESPI) technique in the in-plane arrangement, the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of a composite material that will be used in a passive focusing mechanism of an aerospace mission was measured. This measurement with ESPI was compared with another interferometric method (Differential Interferometer), whose principal characteristic is its high accuracy, but the measurement is only local. As a final step, the results have been used to provide feedback with the finite element analysis (FEA). Before the composite material measurements, a quality assessment of the technique was carried out measuring the CTE of Aluminum 6061-T6. Both techniques were compared with the datasheet delivered by the supplier. A review of the basic concepts was done, especially with regards to ESPI, and the considerations to predict the quality in the fringes formation were explained. Also, a review of the basic concepts for the mechanical calculation in composite materials was done. The CTE of the composite material found was 4.69X10-6 ± 3X10-6K-1. The most important advantage between ESPI and differential interferometry is that ESPI provides more information due to its intrinsic extended area, surface deformation reconstruction, in comparison with the strictly local measurement of differential interferometry