Improved Prediction Method for Estimating Notch Elastic-Plastic Strain

Abstract

Notch stress-strain conversion (NSSC) rules are widely used to estimate nonlinear and history-dependent stress-strain behavior of the notch components or structures. This paper focuses on the estimation of stress and strain using the conventional NSSC rules and linear elastic analysis by considering the entire relaxation locus of the component during inelastic action. On the basis of local effects, net-section collapse, and reference stress, a simple method for estimating inelastic strain in the vicinity of stress concentrations is proposed. The accuracy of the method is compared with elastic-plastic finite element analysis for several notch configurations exhibiting two-dimensional and three-dimensional effects.