Evaluation of concentrated Oblique load at the apex of a wedge by the method of caustics

Papadopoulos, GA

dc.contributor.author	Papadopoulos, GA	en
dc.date.accessioned	2014-03-01T02:08:53Z
dc.date.available	2014-03-01T02:08:53Z
dc.date.issued	2012	en
dc.identifier.issn	1874155X	en
dc.identifier.uri	https://dspace.lib.ntua.gr/xmlui/handle/123456789/29748
dc.subject	Caustics	en
dc.subject	Concentrated load	en
dc.subject	Concentration factors	en
dc.subject	Contact problem	en
dc.subject	Wedges	en
dc.title	Evaluation of concentrated Oblique load at the apex of a wedge by the method of caustics	en
heal.type	journalArticle	en
heal.identifier.primary	10.2174/1874155X01206010090	en
heal.identifier.secondary	http://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1874155X01206010090	en
heal.publicationDate	2012	en
heal.abstract	The experimental method of caustics was used for the evaluation of the stress-singularities created by concentrated oblique load applied at the apex of a wedge or on the horizontal straight boundary of a half-plane. The wedge was considered to be elastic, isotropic and under generalized plane stress conditions. According to the method of caustics, the light rays impinging normally at the thin plate are partly reflected from either the front or the rear faces of the plate. The reflected rays are deviated because of the important constraint of the plate at the vicinity of the applied concentrated load and the significant variation of the refractive index there. The deviated light rays, when projected on a reference screen, are concentrated along a singular curve which is strongly illuminated and forms a caustic. It was proved that the shape and size of the caustic depend on the stress singularity at the point of application of the load. The parametric equations of caustics created by such a singularity were studied in relation with the loading mode of the wedge. Thus, by measuring the dimensions of the caustic, one can evaluate the state of stress at the singularity. The experimental evidence, based on the above method on Plexiglas (PMMA) wedges, corroborated existing elastic theories concerning the order of singularities for concentrated loads. The relations for the calculation of the load, the components of stress and the concentration factor based on the geometrical characteristic of caustics, which were reflected from the front face of the wedge, were given. © G.A. Papadopoulos.	en
heal.journalName	Open Mechanical Engineering Journal	en
dc.identifier.doi	10.2174/1874155X01206010090	en
dc.identifier.volume	6	en
dc.identifier.issue	1	en
dc.identifier.spage	90	en
dc.identifier.epage	99	en