Stress Concentration

The increase in localized stress due to an abrupt change in cross section called a discontinuity or a stress raiser Stress in the fibres nearest to the discontinuity is increased most Stress concentration due to discontinuity occurs for any kind of loading viz. a direct load, bending or torsion The maximum stress at the discontinuity are s1 = (P/A) Kt , for direct load s1 = (Mc/I) Kt , for bending s1 = (Tc/J) Kt , for torsion A, J and I are based on the net section Kt is the theoretical Stress Concentration Factor

Stress Concentration (Contd)

Kt depends only on the geometrical form of the discontinuity
Sometimes referred to as the form-stress factor

Due to local yielding of ductile materials at the point of excessive stress, the effective stress concentration factor, K used in design, is always lower than the corresponding theoretical stress factor Kt In design, Kt is used with extremely brittle materials

Stress Concentration Factors

Tension
Stress concentration in tension members may be represented by lines indicating the direction of the principal stresses In the figure, at both ends of the plate, the lines are parallel, indicating uniform stresses; at the right end, they are closer together, indicating higher stresses These lines are more crowded near the discontinuity, indicating a local stress increase These lines are usually called force

flow lines

Reduction of stress concentration in tension

Force flow lines are quite useful in visualizing stress concentration created by discontinuities, and in taking remedial steps to reduce stress concentration The force flow lines indicate that the stress concentration induced by the elliptical hole is lower in figure (b) than in (a)

(a)

(b)

Reduction of stress concentration in tension

Estimation of stress concentration factors

Free round holes
Stress distribution in a plate of infinite width containing a round hole

For an elliptical hole in an infinitely wide plate, the max. stress is

Smax= S1 = S0(1 + 2a/b) ,

where a & b are semi-major and semi-minor axes of the ellipse (Curve-a in figure) Transverse stress,

(Curve-b in figure) (Compressive stress)

S2 = NS0

Form-stress factor due to hole in a narrow plate

Form stress factor due to a through hole in a shaft loaded in tension

Stress concentration due to notches and grooves

Kt 1 2

t r

Limitation to the use of Kt

When a part is known to contain cracks, the geometry of these may not be known In any case as the notch radius tends to zero, as it does in a crack, the stress concentration value tends to infinity Then the stress concentration is no longer a helpful design tool In these cases, 'Fracture Mechanics' techniques are used
Stress Intensity Factor becomes prominent

Notched flat bar in Tension

Form stress factor for bending case of a shaft with a transverse hole

Stress concentration factor for filleted flat bar in tension

Notched flat bar in bending

Bending case of a bar with shoulder fillet

Stress concentration factor for stepped shaft in bending

Gear tooth- Stresses at the root are greatly influenced by fillet radius

Rotating Beam Fatigue Tests

Un-notched and Notched Fatigue Specimens

Comparison of Fatigue test results for notched and un-notched specimens revealed that a reduced Kt was warranted for calculating the fatigue life for many materials

Fatigue Stress Concentration Factors

Notch Sensitivity Factor

Notch Sensitivity Factors (Bending Example)

Notch Sensitivity Factors (Torsion Example)

Notch Sensitivity of Cast Iron

Most cast irons have a very low q value This is because their microstructures contain many notches, so additional machined ones make little difference A value of q = 0.2 will be on the safe side for all grades of cast iron

Fatigue Stress Concentration Factors