Special Issue on Experimental Solid Mechanics

In the present special volume, the German Association of Applied Mathematics and Mechanics (GAMM) Expert Committee “Experimental Solid Mechanics” was again given the opportunity to summarize the current scientific activities of individual participating working groups in Germany. Both optical measurement methods from surface information as well as radiation-based methods for detecting the internal states present in material bodies are receiving increasing interest. Nowadays, the required measurement systems can simply be purchased, or they can be developed in-house. In addition, there are still many scientific questions left open in the evaluation of the found measurement data. In the meantime, image correlation methods are often used to determine the surface deformation of components, the discrete data of which are now evaluated using proprietary software tools, or are coupled with infrared thermography systems, in particular to determine the dissipating energy of mechanically loaded components.

In the first issue of this special volume, four contributions are compiled proposing (1) a shear evaluation tool using digital image correlation (DIC) for plane problems [5], the coupling of infrared thermography (IRT) and 3D DIC for both (2) identifying material parameters in metal plasticity [6] as well as (3) applicability studies of foams and auxetic materials [3], and, finally, (4) identifying the heat conductivity parameters in transversal isotropy using IRT [8].

The second issue treats distance measurements of laminate layers using microscopical images [4], and three further contributions on μ-CT measurements. First, new in-situ measurements in granular media using μ-X-ray computer tomography (CT) combined with ultrasonic wave propagation is investigated [7]. A further contribution treats the influence of the pores on the fatigue properties of particular additively manufactured parts [2], and, finally, a study on the micro-structural characterization and stochastic modeling of open-cell foam using μ-CT image analysis [1]. All articles contribute to contact-less measurement sensing and evaluation in the field of solid mechanics.