Comparison of stress separation procedures. experiments versus theoretical formulation

The article deals with stress separation using different experimental techniques and their comparison to numerical and theoretical solutions. The method is applied to a keyhole sample coupon, to which measurements of fringe order, temperature or displacement were made using photo-elasticity, TSA (Thermo-elastic Stress Analysis) and DIC (Digital Image Correlation). The results are compared to FEM simulations (Finite Element Method) using the stress concentration factor (Kt) as a benchmark. Additionally, an Airy stress function is proposed and tested against obtained measurements. The comparison of Kt shows agreement among measurements as well as numerical and theoretical results. It is concluded that the presented method can be used for isotropic materials subjected to the plane stress, where stress variation through-thickness is negligible.