Modelling of hardening behaviour of cold expanded holes in medium-carbon steel

Cold expansion is a well-known approach for the enhancement of the fatigue life of fastener holes in structural components by introducing residual compressive circumferential stresses around them. In this work, the hardening of a medium-carbon structural steel is studied experimentally and numerically from the point of view of the material behaviour during the cold expansion process of holes in structural steel components. Six material hardening models obtained on the basis of symmetric strain-controlled experiments and half-cycle test data from unidirectional tension experiments have been used in a two-dimensional axisymmetric finite element model of the process. Parallel with this an x-ray diffraction analysis of the residual stresses at the entrance and exit faces of the structural component has been carried out to prove the finite element result’s authenticity. It is established that the nonlinear kinematic hardening model obtained by a strain-controlled cyclic test to achieve a stabilized cycle for this steel secures finite element results close to the experimental ones. The constitutive hardening model obtained can be applied to a corresponding finite element model for stress analysis of steel structural component with cold expanded holes, subjected to an external load.