DESIGN ENGINEERING: Stress management.

Engineer, The, December, 2004

A clever new coating could help speed the design process by discovering flaws or problems before a part is mass-produced. Christopher Sell reports

A new luminescent paint, developed by researchers at the University of Florida, could change the face of stress and strain experiments by highlighting flaws in prototype versions of drive-shafts, axles and other parts, allowing them to be produced more quickly and with less chance of breakage.

According to Peter Ifju, associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at the University of Florida, and one of the inventors, the coating means a part can be assessed in two to three days, whereas traditional strain gauges can take months.

Designers spray on the paint, dry it, and allow it...