Method of measuring elastic strain distribution in specimens used for high frequency fatigue testing

A technique using a point contact piezoelectric detector has been developed which permits the displacement amplitude distributions over the entire length of high frequency fatigue specimens to be measured. Elastic strain distributions can be derived with a computer analysis that uses curve smoothing and numerical derivative methods. The equipment and techniques for measuring and processing the data are described, and displacement amplitudes, strain distributions, and magnification factors for straight rods and dumbbell-shaped specimens are obtained and shown to agree with theoretically predicted values. It is shown that the technique presented here can be used to design specimens with unusual displacement amplitudes and strain distributions.