PIV/DIC Synthetic Calibration Images

This document is intended to mathematically describe the displacement fields within four sets of
synthetically generated images used in the PIV/DIC algorithm calibration reported by Stanier et al.
(2016a). The images were generated in MATLAB by randomly projecting thousands of 10 pixel
diameter white dots onto a black background to sub-pixel positional resolution, prior to rasterisation
into JPEG images. Each white dot is defined by a Gaussian brightness peak centered at a specified
location. In this way the location of each dot can be precisely controlled allowing smooth spatially-
varying displacement fields to be prescribed in subsequent images. For more details about the image
generation process see Stanier et al. (2016b). The same reference image is used in all series of
calibration images and is shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1: Synthetic reference image used in all calibration image series.

All images are 1001 by 1001 pixels in size, however it is important that only the central 400 by 400
pixel region should be used in the calibration process, otherwise subsets will potentially displace out
of the domain of the image leading to erroneously high estimates of the errors. The four sets of images
contain displacement fields as follows:

1. Rigid body translation: a series of 40 images with horizontal displacement increasing in 0.025
pixel increments.
2. Rigid body rotation: a series of 100 images with logarithmically spaced intervals up to a
maximum rotation of 90°.
3. Vertical strain: a series of 100 images with logarithmically spaced intervals up to a maximum
strain of 50%.
4. Pure shear strain: a series of 100 images with logarithmically spaced intervals up to a
maximum pure shear strain of 50%.

Mathematically, the final coordinates (xn, yn) of any point within image n can be calculated as a
function of the initial coordinates (x, y) of that point as follows:

1. For the rigid body translation image series:

xn  x  0.025n
(1)
yn  y
 2. For the rigid body rotation image series:

xn   x  xc  cos  a    y  yc  sin  a    xc

(2)
yn   x  xc  sin  a    y  yc  cos  a    yc

3. For the vertical strain image series:

xn  x
(3)
yn  y   y  yc   a 

4. For the pure shear strain image series:

xn  x   y  yc   a 
(4)
yn  y   x  xc   a 

The coordinates xc and yc are the coordinates of the central pixel of the image, which for these images
are both taken as 501. The parameter a in Equations 2, 3 and 4 is taken as:

a  10
b n  c  
(5)

The constants b and c in Equation 5 are taken as the values given in Table 1 for image sets 2, 3 and 4.

Table 1: Constant b and c for Equation 5 for images sets 2, 3 and 4.

Images set Constant b Constant c

2 6/99 67.75499859424610
3 6/99 104.9669931146800
4 6/99 104.9669931146800

If you use these sets of calibration images in your research please tell us about the results (email:
sam.stanier@uwa.edu.au) and reference Stanier et al. (2016a).

References

Stanier S, Blaber J, Take W, White D. (2016a). Improved image-based deformation measurement for
geotechnical applications. Canadian Geotechnical Journal, 53: 727-739. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/cgj-
2015-0253.

Stanier, S.A., Dijkstra, J., Leśniewska, D., Hambleton, J.P., White, D.J. & Muir Wood, D. (2016b).
Vermiculate artefacts in image analysis of granular materials. Computers and Geotechnics, 72: 100-
113. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.compgeo.2015.11.013.