Validation of Mechanical Strain Relaxation Methods for Stress Measurement

Most validation studies of mechanical strain relaxation (MSR) methods for residual stress measurement rely on using the saw-tooth residual stress distribution resulting from four point bending and elastic–plastic deformation. Validation studies using simple applied stress profiles in rectangular steel beams are used in this work, together with beams subjected to elastic–plastic bending. Two MSR methods are explored, deep-hole drilling (DHD) and incremental centre hole drilling (ICHD). As well as a series of experiments, finite element analyses are conducted to determine the accuracy in the inversion of measured deformation to reconstruct stress. The validation tests demonstrated that apart from the applied stresses, the initial residual stresses also contribute even when samples are expected to be stress free. The uncertainty in measurement for the two MSR methods is determined, with the uncertainty in near surface measurement found to be significantly larger than uncertainty for interior measurement. In simple loading cases (and simple stress profiles) the uncertainty in measurement and hence the degree of validation is shown to be within about ±50 MPa for steel for “known” stress up to about 140 MPa. However, if the residual stress distribution is more complex there arises increased uncertainty in the predicted residual stress and lack of confidence between measurements methods.     

Full-field separation of principal stresses by combined thermo- and photoelasticity

The combined use of thermoelastic stress analysis and full-field reflection photoelasticity based on the phase-stepping technique has been developed for twodimensional problems. The first method determines the sum of the principal stresses, the latter evaluates the difference of the principal stresses. Thus the principal stresses were separated at each point in the field of view without reference to neighboring points. An evaluation of this approach has been performed using a tensile plate with a central circular hole. The results show that the analysis carried out combining thermo- and photoelasticity incurred errors no larger than those of each system working independently.     

Mapping Multiple Components of the Residual Stress Tensor in a Large P91 Steel Pipe Girth Weld Using a Single Contour Cut

The contour method is applied in an innovative manner to measure the distribution of hoop residual stress in a large martensitic-ferritic steel pipe containing a multi-pass girth weld. First, a novel one-step wire electro-discharge machining cut is conducted to divide the pipe lengthways into two halves. The deformation of the cut halves is then measured and analysed in a way that simultaneously gives maps of hoop stress across the wall thickness on both sides of the pipe and automatically accounts for through-thickness hoop bending effects and how they may vary along the pipe. Finally the contour method results are combined with X-ray diffraction residual stress measurements using the principle of superposition to determine the distribution of the axial and radial residual stresses in the pipe. It is thereby demonstrated how the distribution of three direct components of the residual stress tensor in a welded pipe can be readily determined using a “hybrid” contour measurement approach.     

Improvements in Residual Stress Measurement by the Incremental Centre Hole Drilling Technique

This paper presents results which advance and improve the usefulness, accuracy and efficiency of incremental centre hole drilling as a method of measuring near surface residual stress fields. Particular emphasis is placed on providing optimal values for the number of drilling step increments to be used and their corresponding size. Guidelines on the optimal values for the number and size of steps to use during measurements are presented for various ratios of hole radius to strain gauge rosette radius in the form of tabulated data. These guidelines are subsequently incorporated into a new data analysis program which permits very near surface residual stress fields to be accurately determined in real components. The benefits of the new approach are highlighted by reporting the results of measurements made on three industrial components, each of which has been subjected to a well-known engineering process. These components are a shot-peened spring-steel, a friction stir welded aluminium alloy, and a titanium alloy subjected to three different machining processes. The results reveal that the improvements to the incremental centre hole drilling technique can provide measured residual stresses from depths ranging from about 10 m to 1 mm.     

On the measurement of residual-stress gradients in aluminum-alloy specimens

The assessment or prediction of fatigue life or strength improvement due to residual stresses requires knowledge of their magnitude and distribution. This paper presents an extension of the modified hole-drilling technique (MHDT) to the measurement of stress gradients in a biaxial-residual-stress field. This is achieved by taking a series of ‘point’ measurements and evaluating the stress profile with due consideration to the effects of hole location, the interaction between holes and the redistribution of stress due to hole drilling. An application to the measurement of residual stresses induced in 2024-T3 aluminum-alloy specimens by edge-dimpling technique is described and the method of compensation for the effect of redistribution of stress is explained. The experimental results are shown to be in good agreement with those obtained elsewhere by an analytic-numerical solution.     

A New Procedure to Measure Near Yield Residual Stresses Using the Deep Hole Drilling Technique

Mechanical strain relief techniques for estimating the magnitude of residual stress work by measuring strains or displacements when part of the component is machined away. The underlying assumption is that such strain or displacement changes result from elastic unloading. Unfortunately, in components containing high levels of residual stress, elastic-plastic unloading may well occur, particularly when the residual stresses are highly triaxial. This paper examines the performance of one mechanical strain relief technique particularly suitable for large section components, the deep hole drilling (DHD) technique. The magnitude of error is calculated for different magnitudes of residual stress and can be substantial for residual stress states close to yield. A modification to the technique is described to allow large magnitudes of residual stress to be measured correctly. The new technique is validated using the case of a quenched cylinder where use of the standard DHD technique leads to unacceptable error. The measured residual stresses using the new technique are compared with the results obtained using the neutron diffraction technique and are shown to be in excellent agreement.     

Experimental Evaluation of Residual Stresses in Pipes Manufactured by UOE and ERW Processes

Pipes are basic elements used in the construction of pipelines for the long-distance transportation of oil and gas and their derivatives. They can be manufactured by cold forming processes such as UOE and ERW, both widely used in the oil and gas industry. These processes produce high levels of non-uniform plastic deformation, which introduce a new state of residual stress into the material. In some cases, these stresses combine with mechanical stresses generated by external loads leading to service failures, interrupting the transmission line and increasing the risk of accidents. Therefore, determining in advance the residual stress distribution in pipes is an important task which involves the evaluation of the structural integrity. Six pipe samples obtained by the UOE and ERW processes were measured and evaluated using a portable optical device that combines radial in-plane digital speckle pattern interferometer (DSPI) with the incremental hole-drilling technique to measure residual stresses. The experimental results indicate a distinct residual stress distribution for each manufacturing process, while the measured residual stress distributions in the longitudinal and circumferential directions were similar at all measurement locations along an individual pipe.     

Residual Stress Determination Using Hole Drilling and 3D Image Correlation

In recent years, the hole drilling method for determining residual stresses has been implemented with optical methods such as holographic interferometry and ESPI to overcome certain limitations of the strain rosette version of hole drilling. Although offering advantages, the interferometric methods require vibration isolation, a significant drawback to their use outside of the laboratory. In this study, a 3D image correlation approach was used to measure micron-sized surface displacements caused by the localized stress relief associated with hole drilling. Residual stresses were then found from the displacements using non-dimensional relations previously derived by finite element analysis. A major advantage of image correlation is that it does not require interferometric vibration isolation. Experiments were performed to check the ability of this new approach for uniaxial and equi-biaxial states of stress. Stresses determined by the approach were in good agreement with computed values and those determined by hole drilling using holographic interferometry.     

Residual-stress determination through combined use of holographic interferometry and blind-hole drilling

Holographic interferometry is used to determine in-plane radial displacements due to release of residual stresses by hole drilling. A method is derived for relating radial displacements measured in three directions of illumination to the state of residual stress, analogous to relations used in the conventional strain-rosette technique. Residual stress is produced by an interference fit of two circular tubes. Agreement between stress determined holographically with a computed value and with that determined by the conventional technique is good. Advantages of the holographic technique in overcoming various shortcomings of the conventional technique are discussed. A modification of the holographic technique involving data collection in only two directions of illumination is described.     

Application of X-ray diffraction, micromagnetic and hole drilling methods for residual stress determination in a ball bearing steel ring

A basic understanding of distortion problems requires the analysis of a complete manufacturing process including an almost complete overview of residual stress states in the component during each production step. To reduce the measurement time in the future, three measurements methods (X-ray diffraction, micromagnetic and blind hole drilling methods) have been used to analyze residual stress states in machined AISI 52100 ball bearing rings. X-ray diffraction was used as a state-of-the-art method for machining induced residual stresses with pronounced gradients. The ring exhibited a complex residual stress state with high tensile residual stresses at the surface, a strong gradient in depth, and also showed some variation along the outer circumference due to a superimposition of machining induced residual stresses and effects from the clamping device process. Due to this surface state, micromagnetic signals depend on the analyzing frequency. A calibration of the signals was only possible with the X-ray diffraction data. The results of the three different measurement methods correlate reasonably well.     

Study of residual stresses in linearly varying biaxial-stress fields

A theory has been developed for the calculation of relaxation strains effected by drilling a hole in a plate with a linearly varying stress field. With this theory, a technique was developed for the measurement of residual stress at the toe of tee-fillet welds. The above technique was employed for the measurement of residual stresses at the toe of tee-fillet welds in 11/2-in. HY-80 steel with the fillet in the as-welded, ground, shot peened, ground and shot peened, and mechanically peened condition. It was found that experimental data conform to the assumed theory, and that residual stresses in aswelded tee-fillet welds in both the transverse and longitudinal directions approach the yield strength of the steel. It was also found that residual stresses are reduced approximately 25 percent by grinding, 50 percent by shot peening and 50 percent by grinding and shot peening. Mechanical peening drastically affected residual stresses by converting high tension at the toe of the fillet weld to high compression of approximately the same magnitude.     

Residual Stress Measurements in Finite-Thickness Materials by Hole-Drilling

Hole-drilling measurements of residual stresses are traditionally made on materials that are either very thick or very thin compared with the hole diameter. The calibration constants needed to evaluate the local residual stresses from the measured strain data are well established for these two extreme cases. However, the calibration constants for a material with finite thickness between the extremes cannot be determined by simple interpolations because of the occurrence of local bending effects not present at either extreme. An analytical model is presented of the bending around a drilled hole in a finite thickness material and a practical procedure is proposed to evaluate the corresponding hole-drilling calibration constants.     

Examination of the ring method for determination of residual stresses

A semidestructive method for determining residual stresses on the surface of an isotropic material is examined. The method requires that a ring be cut around the point where residual stresses are to be found. Calibration is done by using a specimen with a known residual-stress distribution. Sensitivity of the technique is found to be much better than that of the conventional semidestructive method of hole drilling.     

Modifications to the hole-drilling technique of measuring residual stresses for improved accuracy and reproducibility

The hole-drilling technique is a relatively well established and straightforward semidestructive method for measuring residual stresses in fabricated components. However, a number of factors can have a marked influence on the accuracy of this technique. Some of the factors evaluated in the present work were the method of drilling the hole, the size and shape of the hole, and the equations used to calculate the principal residual stresses from the relaxed-strain measurements. In this investigation, air-abrasive hole drilling using a 0.062-in.-ID stationary nozzle gave the most reproducible and accurate results. Of the three approaches used to calculate the residual stresses, one method proved to be superior, especially in a biaxial-stress field.     

电测法确定压力容器角变形及错边处附加弯曲应力

本文根据内压容器的电测应力，研究了电测法确定角变形及错边处附力。弯曲应力的原理及方法，用此法可将弯曲应力从组合应力中分离出来，从而得到被测部位附加弯曲应力分布曲线，并由此给出残余应力限值，为工程技术人员采取相应措施改善这种部位的应力状况提供科学依据。     

Measurement and Prediction of Residual Stresses in Quenched Stainless Steel Components

Austenitic stainless steel cylinders and rings are spray water quenched to create residual stresses at or greater than the yield strength. The residual stresses are measured using neutron diffraction, and two mechanical strain relaxation methods: deep hole drilling and incremental centre hole drilling. This paper compares the measurements with predictions of quenching using finite element analysis. Also finite element analysis is used to mimic deep hole and incremental centre hole drilling methods and to reconstruct residual stresses as if they have been measured. The measurements reveal similar trends to the predictions but there is only limited agreement between their magnitudes. However, there is better agreement between the reconstructed stresses and the measurements. Both the two mechanical strain relaxation methods reveal that large discrepancies occur between measurements and predictions arise because of plasticity. Irrespective of this and surprisingly there is good agreement between deep hole drilling and neutron diffraction measurements.     

Hole-Drilling Residual Stress Measurement with Artifact Correction Using Full-Field DIC

A full-field, multi-axial computation technique is described for determining residual stresses using the hole-drilling method with DIC. The computational method takes advantage of the large quantity of data available from full-field images to ameliorate the effect of modest deformation sensitivity of DIC measurements. It also provides uniform residual stress sensitivity in all in-plane directions and accounts for artifacts that commonly occur within experimental measurements. These artifacts include image shift, stretch and shear. The calculation method uses a large fraction of the pixels available within the measured images and requires minimal human guidance in its operation. The method is demonstrated using measurements where residual stresses are made on a microscopic scale with hole drilling done using a Focused Ion Beam – Scanning Electron Microscope (FIB-SEM). This is a very challenging application because SEM images are subject to fluctuations that can introduce large artifacts when using DIC. Several series of measurements are described to illustrate the operation and effectiveness of the proposed residual stress computation technique.     

Residual Stress Analysis of Orthotropic Materials by the Through-hole Drilling Method

The present study deals with the development and the application of the through-hole drilling method for the residual stress analysis in orthotropic materials. Through a systematic theoretical study of the stress field present on orthotropic plates with a circular hole, the relationships between the relaxed strains measured by a rectangular strain gauge rosette and the Cartesian components of the unknown residual stresses are obtained. The theoretical formulas of each influence coefficient allow the user an easy application of the method to the analysis of uniform-residual stresses on a generic homogeneous orthotropic material. Furthermore, to extend the method to the analysis of the residual stresses on orthotropic laminates, caused by initial in-plane loadings, an alternative formulation is implemented. The accuracy of the proposed method has been assessed through 3D numerical simulations and experimental tests carried out on unidirectional, cross-ply and angle-ply laminates.     

Solution of the moiré hole drilling method using a finite-element-method-based approach

The moiré hole drilling method in a biaxially loaded infinite plate in plane stress is an inverse problem that exhibits a dual nature: the first problem results from first drilling the circular hole and then applying the biaxial loads, while the other problem arises from doing the opposite, i.e., first applying the biaxial load and then drilling the circular hole. The first problem is hardly ever addressed in the literature but implies that either separation of stresses or material property identification may be achieved from interpreting the moiré signature around the hole. The second is the well-known problem of determination of residual stresses from interpreting the moiré fringe orders around the hole. This paper addresses these inverse problem solutions using the finite element method as the means to model the plate with a hole, rather than the typical approach using the Kirsch solution, and a least-squares optimization approach to resolve for the quantities of interest. To test the viability of the proposed method three numerical simulations and one experimental result in a finite width plate are used to illustrate the techniques. The results are found to be in excellent agreement. The simulations employ noisy data to test the robustness of this approach. The finite-element-method-based inverse problem approach employed in this paper has the potential for use in applications where the specimen shape and boundary conditions do not conform to symmetric or well-used shapes. Also, it is a first step in testing similar procedures in three-dimensional samples to assess the residual stresses in materials.     

A New Procedure for the Evaluation of Non-Uniform Residual Stresses by the Hole Drilling Method Based on the Newton-Raphson Technique

The hole drilling method is one of the most used semi-destructive techniques for the analysis of residual stresses in mechanical components. The non-uniform stresses are evaluated by solving an integral equation in which the strains relieved by drilling a hole are introduced. In this paper a new calculation procedure, based on the Newton-Raphson method for the determination of zeroes of functions, is presented. This technique allows the user to introduce complex and effective forms of stress functions for the solution of the problem. All the relationships needed for the evaluation of the stresses are obtained in explicit form, eliminating the need to use additional mathematical tools. The technique is based on a rather general theory that allows to obtain the formulations of various existing techniques as particular cases.