From Strain To Stress: Stress Map Testing Of Almen Strips

Almen strips have long been used to evaluate shot peening intensity, with arc height serving as a proxy for compressive residual stress. Stress mapping tests (SMT) in this work involve the controlled flattening of an Almen test strip onto a spatial pressure sensor, acting as an inferential measurement for the net bending moment caused by the relaxation of the peened strip. This work explores how stress mapping tests add insight into the stress state of Almen strips, potentially offering a fast and practical alternative to residual stress depth profiling. SMT data analysis provides a framework for relating Almen gauge height with internal stresses. We aim to use SMT as a bridge between strain and stress measures, with implications for both scientific understanding and industrial applications.