Gelatin models for photoelastic analysis of gravity structures

Abstract

The potential of gelatin as a highly sensitive photoelastic material has long been known but seldom utilized. This paper describes a series of tests to show that body-force stress distributions can be conveniently found with gelatin models. Problems arising from the extreme variability of gelatin, including edge dehydration and bacterial attack which have plagued investigators in the past, may be overcome or even turned to advantage by careful control of the mixture and simultaneous calibration. Previous work with gelatin in this country and abroad has been reviewed in order to indicate the available information on the instantaneous physical and optical properties. Data from the calibration test performed at Princeton were used to obtain both the instantaneous and the linearly viscoelastic creep behavior of the gelatin mixture chosen in terms of constant moduli which can be compared with other time-dependent, prototype materials. Apparatus and procedure for both calibration and model tests are outlined, and test results for one of the wedge-shaped gravity structures investigated are compared with analytic predictions.