Determination of plane stress states in structural materials by using elastic body waves

This article examines the main principles behind the use of the acoustoelastic effect to determine biaxial stresses by means of body waves propagating along a normal to the plane of action of the stresses. Simple computing algorithms are constructed to calculate tensile-compressive stresses acting along the axes of symmetry of a material on the basis of measurements of the time of propagation of longitudinal and shear waves. Results are presented from experimental measurement of the acoustoelastic coupling factors for the main structural materials, and an example is given to show how residual stresses are determined after the welding of steel slabs in a rigid contour.