An investigation of elasto-plastic zones and residual stresses of the U-notched plates

In this study, the elasto-plastic stress analysis of the "U" notched isotropic plates of steel (SAE 1060) have been studied, by using a finite elements method. The plates with U-notches having several depth (b) and radius (r) have been provided. These plates have been loaded with the various uniform tension loads increasing from the yield load. The spread of the plastic zones and the residual stresses have been obtained. The results have been presented in diagrams and compared with some of the relevant studies in the literature. As a result/ it has been seen that in case of increasing notch dimensions, the obtained stresses and residual stresses increase too; and in case of increasing uniform tension loads, the areas of the plastic zones also increase. In the analysis, it has been shown that the plastic zones concentrate around the U-notches for all of the plates.KEY WORDS: Notched plate, residual stress, elasto-plastic stress analysis, stress concentration, plastic zones.