Finite Element Simulation of the Sachs Boring Method of Measuring Residual Stresses in Thick-Walled Cylinders

Abstract

During a recent study the residual strain/stress states through the walls of autofrettaged thick-walled high-strength steel cylinders were measured with neutron diffraction, Sachs boring and the compliance methods (Venter et al., 2000, J. Strain Anal. Eng. Des., 35 , pp. 459–469). The Sachs boring method was developed prior to the advent of high speed computers. A new method for the data reduction was proposed. In order to verify the proposed procedure, the Sachs boring experimental method was simulated using finite element modeling. A residual stress field was introduced in the finite element method by elasto-plastic finite element analysis. The physical process of material removal by means of boring was simulated by step-by-step removal of elements from the finite element mesh. Both the traditional and newly proposed data reduction methods were used to calculate the residual stresses. The new data reduction method compares favorably with the traditional method.