The Contour Method: Simple 2-D Mapping of Residual Stresses

An entirely new method for measuring residual stress that is extremely simple to apply yet more powerful than existing techniques is presented. In this method, a part is carefully cut in two. The contour of the resulting new surface is measured, which gives the displacements caused by the release of the residual stresses. By Bueckner’s superposition principle, analytically forcing the surface back to its original flat state gives the residual stresses that originally existed normal to the plane of the cut. The main advantage of this method is that the measured data can be used to solve directly for the stresses, whereas other methods require a complex inversion process.