An inverse finite element method for determining residual and current stress fields in solids

Abstract

The life expectancy of a solid component is traditionally predicted by assessing its expected stress cycle and comparing it to experimentally determined stress states at failure. The accuracy of this procedure is often compromised by unforeseen extremes in the loading cycle or material degradation. Residually stressed parts may either have longer or shorter lifespans than predicted. Thus, determination of the current state of stress (i.e., the residual stress in the absence of external loading) and material properties is particularly important. Typically, the material properties of a solid are determined by fitting experimental data obtained from the measured deformation response in the stress-free configuration. However, the characterization of the mechanical behavior of a residually stressed body requires, in principle, a method that is not restricted to specific constitutive models. Complementing a recently developed technique, known as the reversed updated Lagrangian finite element method (RULFEM), a new method called estimating the current state of stress (ECSS) is presented herein. ECSS is based on three-dimensional full-field displacement and force data of a body perturbed by small displacements and complements the first step of the incremental RULFEM method. The present method generates the current state of stress (or residual stress in the absence of external tractions) and the incremental elasticity tensor of each finite element used to discretize the deformable body. The validity of the ECSS method is demonstrated by two noise-free simulation cases.