Characterization of Biocompatible Materials Using Stereo Microscope 3D Digital Image Correlation

Abstract

This paper presents the measurement of the sub‐micrometer deformation of biocompatible materials induced by mechanical and thermal loading with a newly developed stereoscopic microscope 3D digital image correlation (DIC) system. This technique combines a 3D DIC system based on two cameras in a stereoscopic setup with a stereoscopic microscope. This paper describes measurements of displacements in the range of 100 microns with an error of 0.1%, which is several times better than the accuracy provided by other comparable systems. The examined micro‐sized specimens are cut out of biocompatible material used for the construction of a pneumatic ventricular assist device. The results include a 3D surface profile, analysis of the sample surface deformations, and distribution of surface strains.