Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 6
Claim 1
Independent Claim
304 words
A method of evaluating properties of transparent optically isotropic and optically anisotropic materials comprising the steps of: applying a tensile load to an uncracked region of a flat rectangular specimen of the material, such specimen having a predetermined thickness and simultaneously impinging a collimated monochromatic light beam having a predetermined wavelength on the uncracked region of the specimen from a direction substantially perpendicular to a flat surface of the specimen and to the load applied to the specimen whereby a fringe pattern is reflected from the specimen; changing the load on the specimen and simultaneously counting the average number of fringes in the reflected fringe pattern crossing an arbitrary point in the reflected fringe pattern for a predetermined change in the load on the specimen; forming a crack in a flat rectangular specimen of the same material, said crack extending from a region at the center of a long edge of said cracked specimen into said cracked specimen a distance to assure that caustics formed from a constrained region adjacent a crack tip are free from the influence of free surfaces of the specimen; applying a tensile load to said cracked specimen in a direction perpendicular to said crack and simultaneously impinging a collimated monochromatic light beam on the constrained region in said cracked specimen adjacent the crack tip from a direction substantially perpendicular to a flat surface of the specimen and to the load applied to the specimen whereby caustics are transmitted through and reflected from the specimen; measuring the effective diameters of the transmitted and reflected caustics at locations spaced equidistant from and on either side of the specimen; and determining the ratio of Poisson's ratio to the modulus of elasticity for the material from said measured caustic diameters, said predetermined load change, said fringe count, said wavelength and said predetermined thickness.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
304 words
A method of evaluating properties of transparent optically isotropic and optically anisotropic materials comprising the steps of: applying a tensile load to an uncracked region of a flat rectangular specimen of the material, such specimen having a predetermined thickness and simultaneously impinging a collimated monochromatic light beam having a predetermined wavelength on the uncracked region of the specimen from a direction substantially perpendicular to a flat surface of the specimen and to the load applied to the specimen whereby a fringe pattern is reflected from the specimen; changing the load on the specimen and simultaneously counting the average number of fringes in the reflected fringe pattern crossing an arbitrary point in the reflected fringe pattern for a predetermined change in the load on the specimen; forming a crack in a flat rectangular specimen of the same material, said crack extending from a region at the center of a long edge of said cracked specimen into said cracked specimen a distance to assure that caustics formed from a constrained region adjacent a crack tip are free from the influence of free surfaces of the specimen; applying a tensile load to said cracked specimen in a direction perpendicular to said crack and simultaneously impinging a collimated monochromatic light beam on the constrained region in said cracked specimen adjacent the crack tip from a direction substantially perpendicular to a flat surface of the specimen and to the load applied to the specimen whereby caustics are transmitted through and reflected from the specimen; measuring the effective diameters of the transmitted and reflected caustics at locations spaced equidistant from and on either side of the specimen; and determining the ratio of Poisson's ratio to the modulus of elasticity for the material from said measured caustic diameters, said predetermined load change, said fringe count, said wavelength and said predetermined thickness.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
54 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said cracked specimen is impinged with such collimated monochromatic light beam and the effective caustic diameters are measured prior to impinging said uncracked specimen region with such collimated monochormatic light beam and counting the average number of fringes crossing the arbitrary point for the predetermined change in load.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
38 words
The method of claim 2, and further including the step of determining a stress-optical constant for the specimen material from the ratio of the measured caustic diameters and the determined ratio of Poisson's ratio to modulus of elasticity.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
37 words
The method of claim 1, and further including the step of determining a stress-optical constant for the specimen material from the ratio of the measured caustic diameters and the ratio of Poisson's ratio to modulus of elasticity.
Claim 6
Independent Claim
25 words
The method of claims 1, 2, 3 or 4, wherein said specimens are impinged with collimated monochromatic light beams from a laser and a collimator.