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The Contour Method for
Measuring Residual Stress

 
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Principle
   - make cut
   - measure surface
   - calculate stress
Validations
Applications
   - bent beam
   - weld plate
   - quenched steel
   - impacted plate
   - alum. forging
   - friction stir weld
   - Ti FSW
   - Railroad rails
Publications
More info
 
Residual Stress
Conferences
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download pdf

The Contour Method, Michael B. Prime and Adrian T. DeWald, 2013, chapter 5 in Practical Residual Stress Measurement Methods, Gary S. Schajer, Editor, pp. 109-138. ISBN: 978-1-118-34237-4. DOI: 10.1002/9781118402832.ch5

 

Go to GitHub repository

pyCM GitHub repository

Matthew Roy and coworkers from the University of Manchester have released open source Python software for analyzing contour method data! (U of M contour method page)

M.J. Roy, N. Stoyanov, R.J. Moat, P.J. Withers, "pyCM: An open-source computational framework for residual stress analysis employing the Contour Method," SoftwareX, 11, 2020, 100458. (Open Access)


Measure full 2-D residual stress maps over a cross-section:

Forensic determination of residual stress
stresses in compressed forging
After a part has fractured.
Measure multiple stress components
stresses in compressed forging
Using multiple methods & superposition
residual stress map in friction stir weld
bent beam measurements
Rail
stresses in compressed forging
quenched steel plate stresses Stresses in friction stir welded Titanium stresses after impact weld plate measurements

principle Principle: How does this method work?

applications Applications: Some examples of measuring residual stresses
              - To see the method validated, check out the weld plate, bent beam, and friction stir weld
              - See the validations page for a full list of published validation experiments.

downloadable publications Publications: Download detailed publications.

 

Stressmap, Veqter and Stress-Space in the UK provide measurement services with the contour method.

Hill Engineering has been licensed and performing contour method measurements in the USA since 2006.

Prime, M. B., 2018, "The Two-Way Relationship Between Residual Stress and Fatigue/Fracture," Fracture, Fatigue, Failure and Damage Evolution, Volume 7: Proceedings of the 2017 Annual Conference on Experimental and Applied Mechanics, J. Carroll, S. Xia, A. M. Beese, R. B. Berke, and G. J. Pataky, eds., Springer International Publishing, Cham, Switzerland, pp. 19-23. preprint (pdf)

"Residual stresses in metals operate under a cloak of mystery, as they have neither been seen in the laboratory nor detected by means of the microscope. In spite of their phantom-like nature, they frequently exert metallurgical effects that cannot be ignored."
- Kent R. VanHorn, Director of Research, ALCOA, 1953, Journal of Metals, Vol. 197, pp 405-422.

(Background image on this page is 3D FEM from forging application. Graphic by Chris Brigman.)

 

 

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Managed by Triad National Security, LLC Los Alamos National Security, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy's NNSA
contact: Mike Prime at prime@lanl.gov | Copyright & Disclaimer
U.S. patent 6,470,756 | Last Modified: April 26, 2022

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