Effects of Anisotropy on the Performance Sensitivity of the Mesh-Free Random Grid Method for Whole Field Strain Measurement

The recently developed mesh-free random grid method (MFRGM) has been exhibiting very promising characteristics of accuracy, adaptability, implementation flexibility and efficiency. These are essential features enabling material characterization methodologies that depend on the experimental measurement of displacement and strain fields. The aim of the present paper is to present a sensitivity analysis that aids into determining the effects of the material or loading orientation of an anisotropic medium with an open hole and critical computational parameters characterizing the MFRGM in terms of its accuracy performance. First a brief outline of the MFRGM is provided. A sensitivity analysis based on the effect of the orientation angle of an anisotropic medium with an open hole is presented for a realistic choice of experimental (optical) characteristics. Finally, the effects of the mean dot size and dot distance (that are essential experimental parameters of the method) on the strain fields, are presented.