Elasto-plastic and creep behaviour of axially loaded, shouldered tubes

Abstract

This paper compares the finite element predictions of elasto-plastic and creep behaviour with experimental data for axially loaded, shouldered tube models. Four shouldered tube models were made of a lead alloy and tested at 61°C, using strain gauges to measure the elasto-plastic and creep strains in the plain tube and fillet regions of the models. Instantaneous stress-strain and creep data were obtained from strain-gauged, uniaxial tensile specimens. The finite element solutions are based on the incremental Prandtl-Reuss equations. The elasto-plastic iterative solutions use a ‘negative gradient’ from the calculated point to the equivalent stress-equivalent strain curve to get the next estimate of the plastic strain increment. A time incremental method is used to obtain the creep solutions. Tests with the mean tube stress below, at and above the yield stress showed very good agreement between prediction and measurement of initial strains in the fillets. Differences between predictions and measurements of creep strains are attributable to cast-to-cast variations.