Abstract
Measurement of shape is a very fundamental step to experimental mechanics. For example, ultimate strength of shell structures is governed by initial imperfection and crack initiation often occurs at a geometorically irregular point. As numerical simulation get sophisticated, more detailed measurement of shape becomes necessary. In such cases, a traditional vernier or a micrometer is no longer an appropriate tool. On the other hand, the use of a highly accurate CMM is usually overkill for specimens of our interests. The objective of this manuscript is to propose a simple but acceptably accurate shape measurement method for column type specimens. In this method, coordinate measure is achieved without any precisely worked frame but by indirect method.
