Entry-level DIC System for Education, Making Materials Come Alive in the lab

DefleX®-2D is an entry-level, 2D digital image correlation (DIC) system, designed to help students visualise and understand how materials and structures behave under load. The camera and software kit tracks how surfaces stretch, bend and move – turning invisible stresses into clear, visual colour maps of strain and displacement in real time. 

Ideal for material science, structures and mechanical engineering courses and labs, this compact, fully integrated teaching tool makes complex concepts easy to see and explore. DefleX®-2D provides a powerful yet simple way to visualise and analyse strains and deformations meaning students can directly compare experimental data with theoretical predictions or computer simulations, supporting a deeper blended learning experience.

From theory to reality - Seeing in microscopic detail

Combining theory, hands-on experimentation, visual learning, and technology evolution, DefleX®-3D is our teaching system helping students learn about 3D digital image correlation (DIC) that measures and visualises full-field surface deformations, strains and displacements. 

Designed for teaching, it enables students to explore material behaviour, experimental mechanics, and design validation with real-world data. Simple to calibrate and quick to set up, using two digital cameras and image analysis software, DefleX®-3D captures surface changes in real-time or playback, enabling footage manipulation and data analysis whenever, wherever.

A powerful introduction to Digital Image Correlation (DIC) for teaching and demonstration

The DefleX® Starter Kit (DSK1) is a complete teaching tool and demonstration system designed to introduce the fundamentals of digital image correlation (DIC). Using our DefleX®-2D or DefleX®-3D software, the user quickly learns how to set up, calibrate, and operate a DIC system, an advanced non-contact measurement technique widely used across research and industry. 

The DefleX® Starter Kit (DSK1) features four main testing areas: torsion, a tensile vice, cantilever bending, and a panel deflection apparatus that demonstrate a variety of use cases for DIC and showcase the capabilities of the DefleX® software as a measurement and visualisation tool.

A small bench-mounting hydraulic tensile testing machine/hardness tester with electronic digital readouts and digital data capture.

A versatile bench-mounted machine for compressive and tensile tests on different materials and structures.

A bench mounted machine to allow students to do torsion tests on different materials.

A laboratory-scale hand driven bench top tensile testing machine, 20kN capacity.

A bench mounting apparatus to allow students to investigate the deflections of unsymmetrical cantilevers.

A bench top frame with load cells and cantilevers for the study of deflection and forces on different types of beams for a wide range of supports and loads; also demonstrates Young's modulus.

Shows the various modes of buckling (elastic collapse or crippling) of slender compression members.

A bench-mounted machine that demonstrates the phenomenon of creep under different conditions and in different materials.

A self-contained bench mounting experimental apparatus to enable students to investigate the effect of pressure on the surface profile of a diaphragm and also the distribution of circumferential and radial strains.

Tests extension springs to find their properties. Proves Hooke's law and the basic rules of spring design.

Experiment for the study of the characteristics of a two-pinned arch under various load conditions. Mounts on the Structures platform and connects to the Structures automatic data acquisition unit and software (VDAS® Onboard).

Experiment for the study of the characteristics of a fixed arch under various load conditions. Mounts on the Structures platform and connects to the Structures automatic data acquisition unit and software (VDAS® Onboard).

Experiment for the study of buckling of struts and the relationships between length, end fixing conditions and buckling load. Mounts on the Structures platform and connects to the Structures automatic data acquisition unit and software (VDAS® Onboard).

Experiment for investigations into two common curved structures and two common davit structures. Mounts on the Structures platform and connects to the Structures automatic data acquisition unit and software (VDAS® Onboard).

Experiment for the study of plastic theory and limit state design of beams. Mounts on the Structures platform and connects to the Structures automatic data acquisition unit and software (VDAS® Onboard).

Experiment for the study of plastic theory and limit state design in portal frames. Mounts on the Structures platform and connects to the Structures automatic data acquisition unit and software (VDAS® Onboard).

Experiment for the study of rectangular portals subjected to vertical loads. Mounts on the Structures platform and connects to the Structures automatic data acquisition unit and software (VDAS® Onboard).

Experiment for the study of the characteristics of a simple suspension bridge. Mounts on the Structures platform and connects to the Structures automatic data acquisition unit and software (VDAS® Onboard).

Experiment for the study of beam deflection under different loads and fixing conditions, and the demonstration of Young’s modulus. Mounts on the Structures platform and connects to the Structures automatic data acquisition unit and software (VDAS® Onboard).

Experiment for the study of the vertical and horizontal deflection of different unsymmetrical sections. Mounts on the Structures platform and connects to the Structures automatic data acquisition unit and software (VDAS® Onboard).

Compact, bench mounted apparatus enabling a variety of investigations into material stiffness including Young's modulus.

Bench top apparatus that investigates the free and forced vibrations of a rigid beam with a spring, and a simply supported beam. Demonstrates Rayleigh's approximation and Dunkerley's method.

Bench mounted apparatus and control and instrumentation unit, for studying the dynamic behaviour of different cams and followers and their 'bounce' speed.

Experiment for studying simple harmonic motion and the factors that affect the period of oscillation of pendulums. Fits on to the Free Vibrations Test Frame.

Experiment that illustrates how to calculate and find a compound centre of percussion pendulums. Fits on to the Free Vibrations Test Frame.

Experiment that uses simple harmonic motion theory to demonstrate how to calculate the frequency of oscillation of simple mass spring systems; demonstrates Hooke's law. Fits on to the Free Vibrations Test Frame.

Experiment that demonstrates the oscillatory motion of a disc attached to a slender rod. Fits on to the Free Vibrations Test Frame.

Experiment that uses the fundamental theory and Rayleigh's approximation to calculate the frequency of oscillation of a cantilever. Also utilises Dunkerley's method to predict the 'beam only' frequency. Fits on to the Free Vibrations Test Frame.

Experiment that demonstrates the oscillatory motion of a rigid beam, pivoted at one end and suspended by a spring at the other. Fits on to the Free Vibrations Test Frame.

DefleX-2D 1 Year TE Extension

DefleX-2D 5 Year TE Extension

DefleX-2D Network License Key

8mm Lens with a minimal focusing distance of 100mm.

16mm Lens with a minimal focusing distance of 250mm.

25mm Lens with a minimal focusing distance of 200mm.

35mm Lens with a minimal focusing distance of 250mm.

50mm Lens with a minimal focusing distance of 300mm.

75mm Lens with a minimal focusing distance of 400mm.

Either an annual or multi-year technical enhancement package up to five years.

DefleX-3D Network License Key

A comprehensive set of tools and ink to easily apply an effective speckle pattern to a range of surfaces for use with the DefleX® DIC systems.