The “Lucky” Contour Method: Past, Present and Future

But for a bit of random luck, the contour method would have been abandoned after the first attempted measurement in 1998. After telling that story, I will discuss the subtle but fundamental change in experimental mechanics that enabled the contour method, and what the change means for new assumptions and error sources. I will talk about the early adopters of the method, from its first presentation 25 years ago at the ICRS in Oxford in 2000, and the best ways to overcome reluctance and find someone to try a new idea. I will talk about my favorite contour measurement, and the spirited debate it ignited with an arrogant professor at the International Conference on Experimental Mechanics in 2012. Then I will talk about the higher level capabilities of the contour method that should be utilized more often. Finally, I will mention the most promising avenues for future development, many of them experimental, and the challenge of putting true uncertainties on contour method results, an issue that is common to much of experimental mechanics and is the subject of another symposium at this ICRS.