Extraction of isotropic points using simulated isoclinics obtained by photo elasticity-assisted finite element analysis

A method for extracting isotropic points in structures using simulated isoclinics obtained from a combination of photoelastic experiments and finite element analysis (FEA) is presented. This method is divided into two parts. The first part involves the confirmation of the boundary condition necessary for FEA using isochromatics obtained by photoelastic experiments. The second part involves the determination of isotropic points using simulated isoclinics obtained by FEA under the boundary condition confirmed by photoelastic experiments. This method is applied to a ring and T-shaped plates subjected to a compressive load. The results show that the isotropic points in the ring and T-shaped plates could be accurately and easily extracted by this method. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.