NAME_________________________________________ GROUP No.

______________
COURSE No.___________ COURSE TITLE. __________________________________
DATE: ________________ LABORATORY MEETING DAY: __________________
LABORATORY MEETING TIME: __________________
WENTWORTH INSTITUTE of TECHNOLOGY
EXPERIMENT No. ______________
EXPERIMENT TITLE: ____________________________________________________
INSTRUCTOR: __________________________________________________________
GROUP MEMBERS:
LEADER

GRADING:

________________

ABSTRACT: ____________________

________________

INTRODUCTION: _______________

________________

PROCEDURE: ___________________

________________

RESULTS: _______________________

________________

DATA

________________

SAMPLE CALCS
DIAGRAMS

WRITING CENTER FACILITY

CONSULTATION: _____________

GRAPHS
CONCLUSIONS: _________________

DATE REPORT
SUBMITTED: __________________

ENGLISH MECHANICS: __________

GRADE: ____________________

GROUP LEADER: _________________

Abstract:
A lab was conducted at Wentworth Institute of Technology using a stepped plate in tension. The
objective of the lab was to compare the various predicted stress concentration factors for a stepped
plate from our book to those predicted by a finite element analysis using SolidWorks simulations. We
concluded that the calculations and results were very close and had many similarities in data and the
plots.
Introduction:
Each stepped plate had fillets with a different radius. We predicted the stress concentration
factors for the plates using its dimension and the information given to us in the book. Then three 3-D
stepped plates were made and all were tested using Solidworks for different stress concentration
factors. When a stepped plate similar to this lab is fixed on a surface and a tension is applied, it usually
tends to fail near the fillets due to the stress. We expect the same from these three plates. We also
hypothesize that the results from FEA and our calculations should be very similar due to the fact that
there is little to no room for error in this lab.

Procedure:
1. Create a separate 3-D model of the three parts given by the instructor in SolidWorks
2. Open simulations/Study/Static
3. Apply a fixed area constraint to one side of the plate to establish static equilibrium for the
analysis
4. Apply the load on the other side of the plate for the FEA. The load will be provided by the
instructor
5. Set the material for the analysis to 1020 steel
6. Run the Calculations and display stress, total displacement, and the factor of safety.
7. Record all results and repeat steps 2-6 for all parts
8. Use the data to develop the result tables and graphs using an Excel spreadsheet.

Data and Results:

Input data:
Case

Fillet
Width Width Thickness Load (lbs)
Radius r
H (in)
h (in)
t (in)
F
(in)
1
0.063
2
1
0.25
2000
2
0.125
2
1
0.25
2000
3
0.25
2
1
0.25
2000

Calculated values:
Case

r (in)

1
2
3

0.063
0.125
0.25

Stress Concentration
Factor k_t

Nominal Maximum Total Axial

Stress
Stress
Deformation
(lbf)
(lbf)
(in)
2.7
8000
21600 0.000413793
2.15
8000
17200 0.000413793
1.72
8000
13760 0.000413793

FEA Values:
Case

1
2
3

Equations Used:

Max von Mises

Stress (lbf)

Total Axial
Design
Deformation Factor
(in)
19710
4.64E-04
2.587
17020
4.59E-04
2.995
13820
4.50E-04
3.69

Design
Factor
2.360648
2.964535
3.705669

Case 2 Result:

Graphic Results:

Stress Vs r
25000

20000

15000
FEA Stress
Calculated Stress
10000

5000

0.05

0.1

0.15

0.2

0.25

0.3

Total Axial D Vs r
4.70E-04

4.60E-04

4.50E-04

FEA Total Axial D

4.40E-04

Calculated Total Axial D

4.30E-04

4.20E-04

4.10E-04
0

0.05

0.1

0.15

0.2

0.25

0.3

FOS Vs r
4

3.5

2.5

FEA FOS

Calculated FOS
1.5

0.5

0
0

0.05

0.1

0.15

0.2

0.25

0.3

Discussion and Conclusion:

All the stress plots of the three different part share many similarities. One really common
characteristic is that the maximum stress is shown to be near the middle of the fillet. The bigger the
filler radius size increases the more the max stress will decrease. This will happen because the larger the
radius the closer the part is to becoming more uniform in its dimensions. With the case of
manufacturing a stepped plate with sharp stepping edges, the plates max stress will be really high to
the point where it may fail. In the cases it is visible that the FOS rises with the radius size, so it is
recommended for a higher factor of safety to increase the fillet radius. If increasing the radius is not an
option, it is also possible to replace the material to one with higher yield strength. The percent errors
between FEA and calculated values are displayed in the Table below. The error difference is really low
throughout the entire experiment. The main cause of error is due to the difficulty in identifying the
correct stress concentration factor form the graph in the book.
Case
1
2
3

%Error Max Stress

%Error Total Axial

Deformation
9%
1%
0%

12%
11%
9%

%Error Design
Factor
10%
1%
0%

Overall this experiment went as expected. All the hypotheses made in the introduction were
correct. Both the calculations made, and the results obtained from FEA were very similar which is visible
in the graphic results.