FEA Software for Determination of Residual Stresses in Autofrettaged Tubes for a Range of Gun Steels With Bauschinger Effect

摘要

There is a paucity of user-friendly, spreadsheet-based stress analysis software for calculation of stresses due to autofrettage of real gun steels. The objective of this work was to develop and deliver user-friendly, spreadsheet-based (Excel /VBA) Finite Element software capable of calculating residual stresses in autofrettaged steel tubes which exhibit any combination of strain-hardening during loading and of Bauschinger effect during unloading. The latter behavior includes Bauschinger effect as a function of prior plastic strain, and hence of radius, during unloading. The software should also have the potential to determine stresses following low temperature heat soak and reautofrettage. The software was to be pre-programmed with several existing candidate gun steels, including HB7. All these objectives were achieved. The software provides additional functionality, beyond the original objectives. Finally, the program was used to demonstrate specific effects arising during experimental measurement and interpretation of residual stress in autofrettaged gun tubes.