A NEW PHOTOELASTIC EQUIPMENT FOR CLASSROOM TEACHING¹⁾

Photoelastic experiment is a full field and real-time optical experiment. It can vividly show some abstract mechanical phenomena to students in the form of images, which greatly improves the teaching efficiency and students interest. However, the reality is that the teaching time for basic mechanics theory is compressed, and the time for experimental class is very limited. The advantages of photoelastic experiment in teaching cannot be brought into full play. This paper introduces a new type of photoelastic equipment which can be used in classroom teaching to demonstrate its working principle. It is composed of only LED light source integrated with circular polarizer, loading frame and pixel polarizing camera. It has simple structure and can be folded. It weighs about 5kg together with suitcase. The equipment can be easily carried to the classroom to accomplish photoelastic teaching experiments in ten minutes. The experimental results can be displayed on the large screen of the classroom, and the underlying theories can be explained to students with a well prepared teaching plan. Through the above teaching reform, we give full play to the advantages of photoelastic experiment in teaching without increasing class hours.