Solution of the moiré hole drilling method using a finite-element-method-based approach

The moire´ hole drilling method in a biaxially loaded infinite plate in plane stress is an inverse problem that exhibits a dual nature: the first problem results from first drilling the circular hole and then applying the biaxial loads, while the other problem arises from doing the opposite, i.e., first applying the biaxial load and then drilling the circular hole. The first problem is hardly ever addressed in the literature but implies that either separation of stresses or material property identification may be achieved from interpreting the moire´ signature around the hole. The second is the well-known problem of determination of residual stresses from interpreting the moire´ fringe orders around the hole. This paper addresses these inverse problem solutions using the finite element method as the means to model the plate with a hole, rather than the typical approach using the Kirsch solution, and a least-squares optimization approach to resolve for the quantities of interest. To test the viability of the proposed method three numerical simulations and one experimental result in a finite width plate are used to illustrate the techniques. The results are found to be in excellent agreement. The simulations employ noisy data to test the robustness of this approach. The finite-element-method-based inverse problem approach employed in this paper has the potential for use in applications where the specimen shape and boundary conditions do not conform to symmetric or well-used shapes. Also, it is a first step in testing similar procedures in three-dimensional samples to assess the residual stresses in materials.