Moiré patterns: An accurate technique for determination of the locus of the centres of rotation

Abstract

This study describes an accurate technique for the determination of the centre of rotation of small angles. The moiré fringe method localizes the centre of rotation by defining two primary fringes, each of which is found by the intersection of three lines. The primary fringes intersect at the centre of rotation at 90° to each other, the angle least likely to produce an error in measurement. By utilizing joints with known centres of rotation, we have found that the method is extremely accurate and reproducible to within 2 mm of the real centre for angular changes as small as 3°. This technique is useful in evaluating whether a joint is a simple hinge, i.e. rotating about a single axis of rotation or whether the joint moves about a changing axis of rotation referred to as a locus or centrode.