Through-Thickness Residual Stress Distribution After the Cold Expansion of Fastener Holes and Its Effect on Fracturing

Abstract

Many analytical and experimental techniques utilize two-dimensional analysis approach to determine residual strains and stresses at cold expanded holes. In the present work, a recently developed technique of hole drilling was used to sketch stress patterns in three-dimension at a particular orientation of split-sleeve cold expanded holes. At this orientation, similarities were obtained in between the present results and the stress distributions measured by Fourier series expansion, neutron diffraction methods and prediction of a recent finite element analysis. It is clear that after cold expansion there are significant variations in residual hoop stresses at different sections through the thickness of the plate. However, finish reaming and de-burring around the hole redistributes residual stresses such that hoop stresses adjacent to the hole along its entire length becomes more compressive and almost uniform. Finally a correlation between stress pattern and crack profile, displaying the through-thickness effect was shown.