This effort will produce a non-contacting imager of the full stress tensor at the surface of a sample or structure. The imager will be useful as an instrument for the development of new, high-performance materials and as a structural inspection NDE tool for aircraft and spacecraft. Stress separation will be achieved by careful integration of thermoelastic stress analysis and photoelastic stress analysis. The results of Phase I will be design criteria based on coordinated laboratory tests using both technologies on common samples. The results of Phase II will be a prototype imager. This imager will be built as an augmentation of the award-winning DeltaTherm 1000 thermoelastic stress imager, and it will use the customers of the new imager as a marketing base. Potential Commecial Applications: The resulting instrument should find applications in Engineering Mechanics laboratories, design evaluation laboratories and NDE inspections of aircraft, infrastructure, vehicles, pressure vessels and standing machinery
