ANALYSIS AND OPTIMIZATION OF THE DEEP-HOLE DRILLING TECHNIQUE IN MEASURING COMPLEX RESIDUAL STRESS

The aim of the present study was to utilize a complex residual stress generated within a welded circular disc to further investigate the standard deep-hole drilling (DHD) technique and the newly developed over-coring deep-hole drilling (oDHD) technique in accurately measuring residual stresses well over yield stress. Finite Element Analysis (FEA) was used to optimize and extend the deep-hole drilling technique and improve its accuracy. The standard DHD procedure involves 4 steps. (1) A reference hole is gun-drilled through the component. (2) The internal diameter of the reference hole is measured at different angular positions through the depth of the component. (3) A cylindrical section with the reference hole as its longitudinal axis is trepanned free from the component. (4) Finally, the relaxed internal diameter is re-measured at the same angular positions and the same depths. The drilling, trepanning procedures and the parameters of the deep-hole drilling technique were all studied in detail to optimize the technique. Comparison is made between the FEA predicted residual stress in the weld, the measurements and the reconstructed residual stresses of the measurements. The close correlations confirmed the suitability of new modifications made in the deep-hole drilling technique to account for plasticity when measuring near yield residual stresses present in a component.