Shearography: A novel and practical approach for nondestructive inspection

This paper presents an optical technique referred to as shearography for nondestructive inspection. Shearography is an interferometric method which allows full-field observation of surface displacement derivatives. It reveals flaws in materials by looking for flaw-induced strain anomalies. Both surface and interior flaws can be detected. Because of its numerous advantages, shearography is more practical than holography. The simplicity and the alleviation of vibration isolation requirement make shearography a practical approach for nondestructive testing in field/plant environments.