Recently, in the loading tests for steel members, the deformation value is measured by
calculating a distance of both cross-heads. This measuring method encounters a test error due to
various environmental factors, such as initial slip, etc.. Especially, in the case of welded members,
the non-uniform deformation behavior in welded joints is observed because of the effect of welding
residual stress and weld metal. This is mainly responsible for a test error and a loss of the reliability
for used test instruments. Therefore, to improve the accuracy and the applicability of measuring
system, it is necessary to employ a visual monitoring system which can accurately measure the local
and overall deformation of welded members.
In this paper, to accurately measure a deformation of welded members, a visual monitoring system
(VMS) was developed by using three-dimensional digital photogrammetry. The VMS was applied
to the loading tests of a welded member. The accuracy and the applicability of VMS was verified by
comparing to the deformation value measured by a test instrument (MTS-810). The characteristics
of the behavior near a welded joint were investigated by using VMS.
