“Subvolume Splitting” DVC applied for accurate discontinuous deformation measurement and fracture parameter extraction

As a powerful experimental tool for quantifying internal full-field mechanical response, digital volume correlation (DVC) has been increasingly used for extracting crucial fracture parameters. Nevertheless, due to the limitations of its regularly-used shape functions in describing discontinuous deformation, routine subvolume-based DVC encounters challenges in accurately capturing displacement maps around discontinuities, thus impeding reliable and accurate extraction of fracture parameters. To address this issue, a “subvolume splitting” DVC (SS-DVC) method is proposed. SS-DVC first splits subvolumes into two subblocks along a pre-calculated fitted crack plane and then only tracks the subblock with continuous deformation, thereby circumventing the limitations associated with discontinuities. Additionally, a straightforward and effective computational strategy is devised to ensure correct displacement measurements around discontinuities. For validation, both numerical simulation and real three-point bending tests were conducted to examine the performance of SS-DVC in terms of displacement measurement accuracy and extraction of fracture parameters. The experimental results demonstrate that, in comparison to routine DVC, SS-DVC exhibits a significant reduction in measurement errors of displacement around discontinuities, thus enabling more accurate determination of material fracture mechanical properties.