3DSTRAIN, LLC

3D STRAIN, LLC

Creep Measurement Technology

3D Strain has developed a first of its kind technology that measures creep within high temperature environments. Understanding and accounting for creep behavior is essential in industries such as power generation, aerospace, and automotive to avoid unnecessary costs and ensure reliability and safety of components and structures operating at high temperatures.

Why 3D Strain

Our team helped an OEM save tens of millions of dollars by providing creep-monitoring data that improves Product Lifecycle Management (PLM).

Focus

We understand creep and how it drives overly conservative designs, probabilistic lifecycle management, and excess spare parts. Better data and more informed decisions can lead to hundreds of millions of dollars in cost avoidance. Our mission is to develop cost-saving technology that improves structural health awareness on creep-limited parts and equipment.

Credibility

The 3D Strain founders have been granted over 30 patents covering digital image correlation, symbolic strain measurement methods, 2D optical strain measurement, and turbine-blade strain monitoring. Now 3D Strain is introducing a new and distinct, patent-pending, low-cost, high-accuracy method to measure creep using readily available 3D scanning equipment.

Experience

We're innovators and entrepreneurs with a wealth of experience integrating new technologies into existing manufacturing/maintenance operations. Our team has a proven track record inside startups and Fortune 500 companies, with a diverse background in gas turbines, global supply chains, robotics/automation, and custom software development.

Benefits

Our new creep measurement technology integrates seamlessly into existing processes and delivers significant long-term savings with minimal up-front costs.

Local Damage Detection

Creep damage can accumulate in small regions (or hotspots) and exceed limits without being detected by global coordinate measurements. Our technology measures localized damage and provides data that helps identify early-creeping parts.

Extreme Environments

Our technology requires no wires, no maintenance, no calibration, and is designed to last the full component lifecycle under harsh conditions without replacement. We use application-specific methods to minimize impact on aero performance, material properties, and usable life.

Non Contact, Non Destructive

Conventional creep detection methods involve cutting a part into pieces to look for voids or cavities at the microstructure level. We use 3D scanning equipment to measure localized deformation without touching the part's surface.

Eco-Friendly Monitoring

Our technology consumes considerably less energy than typical structural-health-monitoring instruments. We make measurements using surface features that don't require power or a continuous connection to a data acquisition system.

How It Works

3D Strain's damage-detection technology* uses a patent-pending 3D surface-feature analysis to measure plastic strain on a part's surface. By evaluating the relative locations of deformation-indicating features (or "DIFs") over time, localized strain is calculated directly from differential changes in geometry. The basic steps are:

Apply Features

Create DIFs, which are small bumps or dimples that are permanently applied to a part's surface during manufacturing or repair.

Acquire 3D Scans

Obtain an exact 3D replication of the DIF region using 3D scanning technology from leading manufacturers like GOM/Zeiss and Keyence.

Measure Deformation

Accurately measure feature locations and produce actionable structural-health metrics using 3D Strain's proprietary software algorithms.

* Multi-layered IP protection (Patent Pending, proprietary algorithm, trade secret)

Test Data

To demonstrate 3D Strain measurement accuracy, we performed numerous tests at a leading structural laboratory using ASTM-E8 test specimens and Instron mechanical testing systems. The graphs below summarize data from two strain-controlled tests with specified data-acquisition hold points. As the results indicate, 3D Strain methods produce results in close agreement with benchmark extensometer output.

Test Specimen

Test Setup

Test 1 Results

Test 2 Results

Business Objective

3D Strain specializes in tech innovation and supporting software. We're looking to partner with OEMs, service providers, or equipment owners/operators who wish to integrate our proprietary technology into their processes. We welcome inquiries regarding strategic alliances, partnerships, tech transfer, and acquisition.