Issue 77

T. Hachimi et alii, Fracture and Structural Integrity, 77 (2026) 173-206; DOI: 10.3221/IGF-ESIS.77.11

Technical Domain

Key Finding

Strategic Insight for AM Certification

Ref

Established a standardized performance factor for noise resolution trade-offs. Formulated predictive noise propagation and uncertainty decay for VSGs. Integrated DIC reporting requirements into industrial measurement management. Open-source platforms achieved performance equivalent to commercial solvers. Validated the ability of stereo systems to track complex shapes and non-planar motion. Reduced errors by 36.9% and enabled 95% accurate real-time crack tracking. Improved measurement fidelity at specimen edges and crack fronts. Positioned DIC as a passive observer for multimodal damage identification.

Essential for the objective comparison of DIC codes across different AM hardware. Provides the mathematical confidence bounds needed for safety-critical certification. Moves DIC from an «ad-hoc» research tool to a legally defensible certification method.

Benchmarking

[91]

Uncertainty

[11,42]

Regulation

[9,51]

Democratizes high-fidelity characterization for SMEs and decentralized production.

Scalability

[89,106]

Crucial for qualifying the «as-built» topography of 3D-printed components. Facilitates high-throughput, automated quality control in digital twin environments. Allows for accurate quantification of strain at the «neck» of printed road interfaces. Integration with IoT and AI is the prerequisite for next-generation structural health monitoring.

Complexity

[3]

Deep Learning

[111,113]

Edge Metrology

[98]

Data Fusion

[1]

Table 3: Industrial Metrology and Standardization Trends.

M ECHANICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF AM POLYMERS

T

he mechanical properties of AM components are primarily affected by the layer-by-layer AM building process. Due to the AM process creating a high degree of mechanical anisotropy and mesostructural heterogeneity, the layered nature of the AM components results in mechanical properties being directionally dependent upon the post processing conditions as they relate to raster pattern, interlayer voids, and infill density. The development of DIC and DVC has been essential in examining the manner in which the three-dimensional distribution of mesostructural parameters affects the mechanical performance of polymer components and how these parameters affect the crack propagation mechanics in these components. By taking advantage of the full field optical methods now available via DIC and developing a method to track crack propagation within AM components, significant insights have been gained into the interactions of mesostructural parameters with respect to crack propagation dynamics and the resultant mechanical properties [110]. Mechanical anisotropy and build orientation effects Due to the unique deposition method of AM, filament deposition results in inter-bead planes developing a directional orientation (weakness), creating wide variances in strength based on the axis of load application [96]. In this study, Shahan et al. [97] illustrate that the loading orientation of the raster pattern has a significantly greater impact on strength than that of infill percentage (over 40% reduction in flexibility for a raster angle of 90 degrees in both PLA and ABS). Alternatively, Seifollahi and Kabir [96] use DIC to show that on-edge (YZ) build orientations enhance tensile strength by 19% vs. flat printed specimens due to attenuated micro-void density and improved layer fusion. Alba ş kara and Y ı ld ı z [4] further note that while horizontally printed grid networks yield optimal strength vs. ductility for PLA, triangular patterns enhance strength for PETG. Further quantifying the mechanical sensitivity to loading axis are Machado and Cardoso [66], who used Classical Lamination Theory to show that deviations in elastic moduli of ABS were significantly greater in line deposition patterns than in grid. Combining modelling with DIC, Rahman et al. [90] found that upright build orientations reliably had the lowest axial strength in micro-carbon fibre reinforced Nylon 6 and ABS due to layer interfaces perpendicular to the

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