Hollowness of loaded members has been investigated using rings and square plates with central hole under normal compressive loads. The objective is to define the relative size of the central hole or optimum hollowness that will not compromise the load carrying capability of the rings and plates. Hollowness is thus defined as the volume percentage of measurable void in load carrying member. The work presented here uses finite element analysis to plot the radial and transverse stresses of a ring and a square plate with central hole versus the radius the hole or hollowness. The observations from the numerical analysis are further confirmed with experimental verification using strain gages. Seven rings and seven plates are normally loaded between two plates while the radial and transverse strains are measured. The derived stress are plotted with respect to hollowness. The plots show a moderate increase in stresses up to about 35% to 40% hollowness in both finite element and experimental results. Above these values, which represent the optimum hollowness, the stresses increase along a steep curve. These results indicate that some load carrying or transmitting machine components can be fabricated with measurable voids leveraging recent advances in Additive Manufacturing.
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