Numerical evaluation of the Crack Compliance Method (CCM) in beams with and without prior history

This work assesses the Crack Compliance Method (CCM), which has been extensively used for the experimental evaluation of residual stresses, by the Finite Element Method (FEM) to validate its experimental applicability through numerical evaluation. The CCM is a very powerful method that is based on Fracture Mechanics theory, but its experimental application and set up has not been totally scientifically validated. In this paper, a numerical evaluation is presented on the basic applications of the CCM. The assessment of the CCM is performed on bending beams with and without prior straining history. To determine the best position and orientation of the strain gages, as well as the optimum number of readings, a number of numerical simulations where also performed for the correct performance of the experimental evaluation of the CCM. The prior straining history condition, in the analyzed components, is induced by an axial pulling before the beam is bent. Three levels of preloading are considered: low, medium and high (which are related to the yield strain of the simulated material); Isotropic and Kinematic hardening rules are also considered. After the residual stress field is induced by bending, a slot cutting is simulated and the strain relaxation produced is captured, which is used later in the CCM program for the quantification of the original residual stress field. The results obtained in this work, provide a quantitative demonstration of the effect of hardening strain on the distribution of the residual stress in beams. In the same manner, the theoretical formulation of the CCM has been evaluated validating the application of this method for the determination of residual stress fields in mechanical components.