Yield behavior of photoplastic materials

A mixture of flexible and rigid polyester resins has been used previously by Morris and Riley¹⁶ and by Zachary and Riley⁹ to model plastic deformations. The last of these papers furnished mechanical and optical properties under uniaxial tension and compression for several different mixture ratios of the polyester resins and also presents some results under multiaxial-stress conditions from thin cylinders under internal pressure. In a recent paper, Burger, Gomide and Scott¹⁴ used the rigid polyester resin at elevated temperature to model plastic deformations in upset rings; the behavior of the rigid polyester was verified with diametrically compressed disks and uniaxial-compression specimens. A very important similitude requirement for model to prototype scaling in photoplasticity work is that the macroscopic yield behavior of model and prototype materials must be the same. Thus, not only uniaxial tension and compression properties must be examined, but also yield properties under multiaxial-stress states have to be determined. The purpose of this paper is to provide additional information on the yield behavior of polyester mixtures which appear suitable for model studies of manufacturing methods such as rolling and extruding. For these processes, mixture ratio, test temperature and strain rate can be used to control the shape of the stress-strain curve and the yield behavior. The experimental procedure used to determine the initial yield locus of the photoplastic materials employed a new specimen geometry proposed by Arcan, Hashin and Voloshin¹⁸ which produces uniform biaxial-stress fields of opposite sign in one section of the specimen. Both polycarbonate and polyester materials were evaluated using this procedure and results are compared with those available in the technical literature.     

Mechanical-optical properties of polycarbonate resin and some relations with material structure

Polycarbonate resin possesses optical and mechanical properties which make it particularly suitable for certain experimental investigations, including two-and three-dimensional photoelastic analysis. The ductility and transparency of this material might be usefully employed in photomechanical investigations of plastic and viscoelastic response. The similarity of the stress-strain law of polycarbonate to that of mild steel could simplify the similitude problem. In addition, its spectral transmittance in visible and infrared makes polycarbonate useful for studies of material properties and structure. The optical creep of polycarbonate is respresented by a normalized creep coefficient. The relationship of this factor to the theory of viscoelasticity is discussed, and the conditions for a valid calibration of birefringent materials are reviewed. The wavelength dependence of relative retardation is represented by the normalized retardation, from which the dispersion of birefringence can be deduced. The stress-birefringence-time-wavelength characteristics of two brands of polycarbonate resin were determined. Because of residual birefringence, it was necessary to heat treat the resin at about 146°C, and properties of both annealed and unannealed resins are presented. Retardation was measured over the visible and near-infrared portions of the electromagnetic spectrum (407 nm to 1900 nm). There exists a definite relationship between dispersion of birefringence, which amounts to 14 percent in visible, and the infrared spectral transmittance, which is indicative of material structure.     

On the use of stereolithography for the manufacture of photoelastic models

Three-dimensional photoelasticity using the stress-freezing technique is dependent on the production of resin models that do not possess any residual stresses from the manufacturing process. The traditional methods of production involve casting to shape or machining from solid blocks using thermo-setting resins. These methods are expensive and time-consuming, with models typically requiring days for preparation. The rapid-prototyping technique of stereolithography employs similar resins and allows complex components to be built in a matter of hours. However, the residual birefringence associated with the stereolithographic process has so far inhibited its routine use in photoelasticity. A four-centre study has been conducted in an attempt to understand the mechanisms generating this birefringence and to investigate methodologies for producing models free of stress and birfringence. The mechanical behavior of stereolithographic and thermo-setting resins have been compared at room temperature and under stress-freezing conditions.     

Phase Shifting Full-Field Interferometric Methods for Determination of In-Plane Tensorial Stress

A new method that combines phase shifting photoelasticity and transmission Coherent Gradient Sensing (CGS) is developed to determine the tensorial stress field in thin plates of photoelastic materials. A six step phase shifting photoelasticity method determines principal stress directions and the difference of principal stresses. The transmission CGS method utilizes a standard four step phase shifting method to measure the x and y first derivatives of the sum of principal stresses. These stress derivatives are numerically integrated using a weighted preconditioned conjugate gradient (PCG) algorithm, which is also used for the phase unwrapping of the photoelastic and CGS phases. With full-field measurement of the sum and difference of principal stresses, the principal stresses may be separated, followed by the Cartesian and polar coordinate stresses using the principal stress directions. The method is demonstrated for a compressed polycarbonate plate with a side V-shaped notch. The experimental stress fields compare well with theoretical stress fields derived from Williams solution for a thin plate with an angular corner.     

Half-fringe photoelasticity: A new approach to whole-field stress analysis

This paper presents a new method for whole-field stress analysis based on a symbiosis of two techniques—classical photoelasticity and modern digital image analysis. The resulting method is called ‘half-fringe photoelasticity (HFP)’. Classical photoelasticity demands materials with high birefringence, which leads to extensive use of plastics as model materials. Since the behavior of these materials is often different from that of the prototype materials, their use distorts the similitude relationships. In many contemporary problems this distortion is untenable. HFP offers a way out of this dilemma. It permits materials and loads to be chosen so that no more than one half of a fringe order appears in the area of interest. Thus, for example, glass, which behaves linearly up to high stress levels and over a wide range of temperatures, could be used as model material. Alternatively, models from polymeric materials could be used under very low load in order to stay within the linear part of the stress-strain diagram and to prevent large deformations. The half-fringe-photoelasticity system, which is described here, utilizes the resulting low levels of birefringence for effective stress analysis. This paper describes the system. It outlines a calibration routine and illustrates its application to two simple problems using glass models.     

Viscoelastic analysis of residual stress in quenched thermosetting resin beams

The residual stress generated by the molding process of thermosetting resins exerts serious influences upon their mechanical properties. This residual stress is generally classified by two groups: one produced by shrinkage in the curing reaction of monomers, the other produced by the nonuniformity of the temperature distribution in the cooling process. This paper is concerned with the theoretical and experimental analysis of the generation of residual stress of the latter type, using examples of rectangular beams of thermosetting resins quenched on both the upper and lower surfaces. First, a viscoelastic model is applied to make a qualitative prediction of the residual stress in quenched beams. Second, using linear-viscoelastic theory, fundamental equations are derived for the residual stress in a viscoelastic rectangular beam, where an unsteady and nonuniform temperature distribution is assumed in the direction of depth. The theoretical values of the residual stress in rectangular beams are calculated under various quenching conditions for two resins having different viscoelastic characteristics, i.e., epoxy and unsaturated polyester. The theoretical residual-stress distributions agree fairly well with the residual stress measured experimentally at every quenching condition for both resins. The qualitative prediction that the residual stress in quenched beams is compressive in the vicinity of the upper and lower surfaces and is tensile in the inner parts is confirmed. The relaxation modulus of epoxy resin changes more greatly with time and temperature than that of unsaturated polyester resin. The theoretical and experimental analysis shows that the residual stress for the former resin is larger than that for the latter. Therefore, it is concluded that the generation of residual stress is more significant where the relaxation modulus of resin changes greatly with time and temperature.     

Experimental stress analysis by photo-rheologic method

In the photo-rheologic method used in this paper, the time-dependent creep strain rate and the instantaneous elastic-plastic strain rate are considered. Unlike ordinary photoplasticity, the strain history and the time dependence are accounted for in this stress analysis by characteristic values independent of strain rate. This method is also suitable for analyzing finite deformations. Using this method, the time-dependent deformations and stresses in a body can be analyzed with the same accuracy as photoelasticity from the instant of loading to the static-equilibrium state during plastic flow or creep. Fundamental concepts and procedures are described. Two examples are used to demonstrate possible applications of this method.     

The Facet method: A hierarchical multilevel modelling scheme for anisotropic convex plastic potentials

An entirely new analytical expression describing plastic anisotropy is presented. It is designed to be used in combination with multilevel models. It makes use of the theory of dual plastic potentials, which is shortly revisited. An analysis of convexity is presented. Note that the new method is not optimal when not used in combination with a multilevel model; other methods are better suited for identification on the basis of mechanical test data. Compared with already existing methods which work with multilevel models, the new method has the following advantages: (i) it is automatically convex anywhere in the six-dimensional stress or strain rate space; (ii) it can be used for materials with a stress differential effect, such as hcp metals or pre-strained cubic materials; (iii) its identification procedure is such that not only the Taylor theory, but also more advanced theories, such as the Alamel-model or self-consistent models, can be used to identify the parameters; (iv) an analytical expression of the plastic potential can be obtained in both strain rate and stress space, which is an important advantage when implementing the model in finite element codes for metal forming. Equipotential surfaces in strain rate space and corresponding yield loci obtained by the new method for four materials (one ferrite single crystal, one aluminium alloy and two types of steel) are presented and discussed.     

Correlation between swift effects and tension–compression asymmetry in various polycrystalline materials

The Swift phenomenon, which refers to the occurrence of permanent axial deformation during monotonic free-end torsion, has been known for a very long time. While plastic anisotropy is considered to be its main cause, there is no explanation as to why in certain materials irreversible elongation occurs while in others permanent shortening is observed.In this paper, a correlation between Swift effects and the stress–strain behavior in uniaxial tension and compression is established. It is based on an elastic–plastic model that accounts for the combined influence of anisotropy and tension–compression asymmetry. It is shown that, if for a given orientation the uniaxial yield stress in tension is larger than that in compression, the specimen will shorten when twisted about that direction; however, if the yield stress in uniaxial compression is larger than that in uniaxial tension, axial elongation will occur. Furthermore, it is shown that on the basis of a few simple mechanical tests it is possible to predict the particularities of the plastic response in torsion for both isotropic and initially anisotropic materials. Unlike other previous interpretations of the Swift effects, which were mainly based on crystal plasticity and/or texture evolution, it is explained the occurrence of Swift effects at small to moderate plastic strains. In particular, the very good quantitative agreement between model and data for a strongly anisotropic AZ31–Mg alloy confirm the correlation established in this work between tension–compression asymmetry and Swift effects. Furthermore, it is explained why the sign of the axial plastic strains that develop depends on the twisting direction.     

Nonlinear photoviscoelasticity: Theory and measurement

Photoviscoelasticity and photoplasticity concepts are reviewed and differences and similarities are discussed. The suggestion is made that a better understanding of nonlinear-time-varying birefringence enhances the utilization of polymeric materials for photoplasticity studies. A mathematical model for nonlinear photoviscoelasticity is presented. Measurements of optical creep and creep recovery are given and comparisons between theory and experiments are made and discussed.     

摆辗成形后的摩托车启动齿轮三维塑性应变场的光塑性分析

本文叙述了采用聚碳酸脂材料模拟低碳钢和低碳合金钢一类金属的摩托车启动齿轮(下面陶称为端面齿轮)摆辗成形过程。运用光塑性法计算分析了氐形后的光塑性模型内部三维塑性应雯分布;对采用螺旋形轨迹和玫瑰线轨迹成形后的光塑性模型内部的三维塑性应变分布进行了分析比较。该方法已为摆辗最佳工艺参数的选择提供了有用的依据。     

Determination of the full-field stress and displacement using photoelasticity and sampling moiré method in a 3D-printed model

The quantitative characterization of the full-field stress and displacement is significant for analyzing the failure and instability of engineering materials. Various optical measurement techniques such as photoelasticity, moiré and digital image correlation methods have been developed to achieve this goal. However, these methods are difficult to incorporate to determine the stress and displacement fields simultaneously because the tested models must contain particles and grating for displacement measurement; however, these elements will disturb the light passing through the tested models using photoelasticity. In this study, by combining photoelasticity and the sampling moiré method, we developed a method to determine the stress and displacement fields simultaneously in a three-dimensional (3D)-printed photoelastic model with orthogonal grating. Then, the full-field stress was determined by analyzing 10 photoelastic patterns, and the displacement fields were calculated using the sampling moiré method. The results indicate that the developed method can simultaneously determine the stress and displacement fields.     

正交异性动态光弹性方法的几个基本问题的研究

文章对适用于动态研究的正交异性光弹性复合材料进行了分析，详细说明了光弹性复合材料中残余双折射的确定方法；基于静态下Ｈｙｅｒ和Ｌｉｕ应力－光性定律，提出了正交异性动态应力－光性定律，并对正交异性材料的动态力学参数及动态光弹性常数给出了实用的标定方法；最后，利用三个单轴压缩试件（０°，９０°及４５°），采用动态应变测量方法，证实了单轴应力状态下正交异性动态应力－光性定律的正确性。     

Strain distributions in the cold drawing of cylindrical polymeric bars using photoplasticity

Full-field strain distributions in the cold drawing of polycarbonate cylindrical bars are obtained using photoplasticity at three stages of neck propagation. The results indicate that the radial and circumferential strains are almost identical. The strain distributions in the seemingly straight (drawn) portion are nonuiform. The locations of maximum and minimum strains shift when elongations increase. Various sensitivity studies are also reported.     

Three-dimensional photoelasticity by stress freezing

Three-dimensional photoelasticity by the stress-freezing method has been considered to be one of the most powerful methods of experimental stress analysis. Its principles were well established more than thirty years ago, but its use outside the academic world has steadily declined. The reasons are cost and time needed to generate the desired information. This presentation summarizes fifteen year's effort to develop-stress-freezing photoelasticity into a responsive and inexpensive tool for stress analysis in the industrial environment. The whole procedure of stress-freezing photoelasticity is reviewed and evaluated from a cost-effectiveness point of view. The basic properties of model materials, the method of model casting, and the method of mold preparation are discussed in detail. The methods of model slicing, measurement of fringe order, and evaluation of stresses in models are reviewed together with available equipment. Finally, several applications of developed procedures are described in detail.     

拱形试件动态断裂的动光弹分析

本文采用动光弹方法,分析了对带边裂纹的拱形三点弯曲试件在抢击加载条件下的瞬态反应。从多火花动光弹仪记录下来的16幅断裂过程的照片和微机输出的电火花光信号图上,得到了各时刻的等差线图形和裂纹长度。使用运动裂纹尖端附近的应力场解,去计算动应力强度因子。对环氧树脂材料,测定了动态应力强度因子与裂纹扩展速度之间的关系,并给出了当裂纹扩展速度达到410m/s时,为裂纹产生分叉的条件。     

Photovisco-elastoplastic behavior of polycarbonate material under creep and tension tests

Polymers are widely used as photomechanical models of a prototype material (often a metal). Photoplasticity is one of the methods used in order to show the behavior of plastic materials stressed beyond the linear elastic limit. To illustrate this process we have analyzed the photovisco-elastoplastic behavior of polycarbonate as a photoplastic material. In this paper a technique for local and simultaneous measurement of birefringence and principal strains is presented. The mechanical and optical properties, at room temperature, have been evaluated by means of uniaxial tension tests. A series of creep tests has been carried out in order to study the photovisco-elastoplastic behavior of polycarbonate. In two different experiments we analyzed nonlinear birefringence and the amplitude of the corresponding strains. We could thus evaluate the distribution of strains and the distribution of uniaxial stress for each birefringence state and vice versa.     

Separation of principal stresses in dynamic photoelasticity

A new and effective method used to separate the transient principal stresses for dynamic photoelasticity is proposed. This is a hybrid method combining the optical method of dynamic caustics and the boundary element numerical method. Firstly, a modified Cranz-Schardin spark camera is used to record simultaneously the isochromatic fringe patterns of photoelasticity and the shadow spot patterns in the dynamic process. By means of the isochromatic fringe patterns, the difference between transient principal stresses in the whole domain and the principal stresses along the free boundary can be solved. In addition, the method of caustics is a very powerful technique for measuring the concentrative load. Then, the sum of the principal stresses is calculated by the boundary integral equation obtained from the Laplace integral transform of the wave equation. So, the transient principal stresses can be determined from the experimental and numerical results. As an example, the transient principal stresses in a polycarbonate disk under an impact load are resolved. Concurrently published in the Chinese Edition of Acta Mechanica Sinica, Vol. 26, No. 1, 1994     

Optical response and yield behavior of a polyester model material

A mixture of flexible and rigid polyester resins is one of the materials that has been used in the past to model elasto-plastic prototype behavior. As a result of recent curtailments in plastic production, one of the constituents of the mixture is no longer available. A different flexible resin of the same family is available, however, and has been shown in this program to be suitable for optical-model studies involving deformations into the plastic range of material response. In this paper, complete mechanical and optical properties for the new model material are presented for both uniaxial tensile and compressive loadings. Results from a series of thin-walled cylinder tests under internal-pressure loadings are also presented which provide some information on the optical and yield characteristics of the polyester model material under a biaxial state of stress. Results of the study indicate that stress-strain curves for the material can be modified significantly by changing the mixture ratio or the test temperature. Optical data from the study indicate that the fringe order in the material is a function of the instantaneous principal-strain difference. Data from the uniaxial tension and compression tests, together with limited data from the cylinder tests, indicate that the polyester material may follow a modified von Mises yield criterion which accommodates differences in tensile and compressive yield strengths of a material.