System and method for measuring residual stress

A method for determining the residual stress within an elastic object for use by an analyst, the method comprising:

• cutting an elastic object through a plane to create a first free surface and a second free surface;
• measuring areas of deformation of the object across the first free surface and the second free surface;
• calculating average areas of deformation from the areas of deformation of the first free surface and the areas of deformation of the second free surface and recording the average areas of deformation in an empirical data set;
• creating a model of a first portion of the object in a computer simulator, the first portion having the first free surface;
• inputting the empirical data set into the computer simulator;
• calculating residual stress data as a function of the difference between the properties of the first portion along the plane and properties defined in the empirical data set of the object along the plane;
• and
• communicating the residual stress data for use by an analyst.

A system for determining the residual stress within an elastic object for use by an analyst, the system comprising:

• a cutting device configured to form a cut along a plane through an elastic object;
• a measuring device configured to measure the location of points on the surface of the cut and storing the measurements in an empirical data set;
• and
• a computer simulator configured to model the object and apply the empirical data set to directly calculate residual stress.