Measuring residual stresses in a steelpan

Abstract

By bonding strain gage rosettes to a steelpan and drilling a small hole, it is possible to measure the residual stresses at selected locations on a steelpan. The accuracy of the method depends upon the extent to which the stresses and strains change with depth below the surface on which the strains are measured. The residual stresses in a tenor steelpan, ‘‘sunk’’ by hammering in the usual way, appear to be mostly compressive in the middle ring of notes, changing to tensile in the outer ring. The effect of heating on the residual stresses is discussed.