PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cracking prediction device for dried noodle that can predict cracking of dried noodles in advance.SOLUTION: Light emitted by a halogen lamp 4 of a light source part 1 is converted into circular polarized light by a circular polarizing filter 5, converged by a condenser lens 6, and applied to a sample S. Light transmitted through the sample S is converted into parallel light by an objective 7 and then reaches a CCD camera 9 through an elliptic polarized light analyzer 8. The CCD camera 9 acquires a phase difference image formed by converting a phase difference generated owing to birefringence of the sample S when the light is transmitted through the sample S into a contrast. Based upon data on the phase difference image, a prediction part 3 measures a birefringence phase difference quantity that the sample S has and also evaluates the magnitude of residual stress in the sample S from the measured birefringence phase difference quantity so as to predict whether the sample S cracks according to the evaluated magnitude of the residual stress.COPYRIGHT: (C)2013,JPO&INPIT【課題】乾麺におけるクラックの発生を事前に予測することができる乾麺のクラック発生予測装置を提供する。【解決手段】光源部1のハロゲンランプ4から発せられた光が円偏光フィルタ5で円偏光に変換されると共にコンデンサレンズ6で集光されて試料Sに照射され、試料Sを透過した光が対物レンズ7で平行光に変換された後、楕円偏光解析器8を通してCCDカメラ9に到達し、試料Sの複屈折性に起因して試料Sを透過する際に生じた位相差をコントラストに変換した位相差像がCCDカメラ9で取得される。位相差像のデータに基づき、予測部3で、試料Sが有する複屈折位相差量が計測されると共に計測された複屈折位相差量から試料S内の残留応力の大きさが評価され、評価された残留応力の大きさに応じて、試料Sにおけるクラック発生の有無が予測される。【選択図】図1
