An electronic speckle pattern interferometry in-plane system applied to the evaluation of mechanical characteristics of masonry

Electronic speckle pattern interferometry (ESPI) can be a powerful tool for efficient non-destructive testing and evaluation of micro-deformations of materials and structures. Unlike traditional transducers, ESPI requires no direct contact with the inspected object and the full-field visualization provides better understanding of the surface behaviour. The authors describe an in-plane deformation inspection system, which offers automatic acquisitions of interferograms at different stages of a test. The system is applied to the evaluation of some mechanical characteristics of masonry components. Qualitative and quantitative results are obtained and a comparison with traditional inspection methods is presented.