Computation of transient thermal stresses in elastic-plastic tubes: Effect of coupling and temperature-dependent physical properties

The objective of this study is to obtain the transient solution of the thermoelastic-plastic deformation of internal heat-generating tubes by considering the thermomechanical coupling effect and the temperature-dependent physical properties of the material. The previously developed steady-state model describing the elastic-plastic behavior of the tubes is modified to obtain the transient solution. The propagation of the elastic-plastic interface for a given heat load is obtained; and the corresponding stress, displacement, and plastic strain components are computed. The effect of the coupling is investigated using three different engineering materials, namely, steel, aluminum, and magnesium; and it has been found to be negligible. On the other hand, the temperature dependence of the mechanical and thermal properties affects the computed profiles significantly.