A strip holding system for finite element simulation of Almen strip testing

Abstract

We propose a strip holding system that can provide a clear boundary condition for a specimen (strip) during finite element simulation of Almen strip testing. The proposed strip holding system does not need a mounting block and bolts to grasp the strip before and during the test. Both ends of the strip are grabbed by two plane clamps to set a clear boundary condition for the strip during finite element simulation. We performed a series of Almen strip tests with a current strip holding system and the proposed strip holding system at different impingement velocities and exposure times. The lengthwise deflection shapes of the peened strip and saturation curves were measured and compared. The results revealed that the saturation curves obtained with the proposed strip holding system were about 6.2–19.6% larger on average than those obtained with the current strip holding system, but there was an error tendency between the two saturation curves. It denotes that the conventional strip holding system currently in use can be replaced with the proposed strip holding system if we capitalize on the error tendency.