A Compact Scattered Light Polariscope for Residual Stress Measurement in Glass Plates

Johan Anton, Hillar Aben

Residual stress distribution through the thickness in an important characteristic of glass plates used in buildings, automotive glazing, panels of CRT bulbs, etc. To measure the thickness stresses in plates often strips are cut from the plate and investigated with two-dimensional photoelastic technique. This method is destructive and cannot be applied for the assessment of stresses in tempered plates. For the measurement of the surface stresses differential refractometry is widely used. However, often it is important to know residual stress distribution through the thickness of the plate. In principle this problem can be solved using the photoelastic scattered light method. This method has not gained much popularity yet due to the complicated apparatus it demands. This paper describes a measurement technology and a compact scattered light polariscope that permits measurement of the residual stresses through the thickness of glass plates. It is computer controlled and easy to handle.

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