Stress measurement of SS400 steel beam using the continuous indentation technique

An analytical model is presented for determining surface residual stress using continuous indentation. The elastic residual stress is assumed to have no influence on contact area or hardness and to be uniform over a volume that is several times larger than the indentation mark. A step-by-step analysis for the residual-stress-induced load difference at a given depth is outlined here and such concepts as stress interaction, stress-sensitive contact morphology, and reversible contact recoveries during a stress relaxation are described. Finally, the proposed method is applied to the interpretation of the continuous indentation results obtained from an SS400 steel beam in which controlled bending stresses are generated. The stress estimated, however, showed a high scatter due to plastic pile-up deformation. When the optically measured contact area is used as an alternative of the contact area calculated from the unloading curve, the re-evaluated stress agrees well with the already known applied stress. © 2004 Society for Experimental Mechanics.