| Abstract: | The new 3-D photoelastic method was applied to the studies of residual stresses around spherical inclusion in polymeric matrices. Full stress tensor for several model samples was measured. The extent of significant stresses is not greater than three radii of an inclusion. It was found that the stress follows the 1/R3 rule at distances far from the inclusion, while in the narrow zone at the interface a plateau is observed. The level of stress ranges from few MPa up to the plastic yield of the polymeric matrix. The radial stress component is usually twice as large as the tangential stress component. Radial negative stress and tangential positive stresses are found in configuration with a hard inclusion, while radial positive stress and tangential negative stresses are in the systems with soft inclusion. The pressure in the matrix at points around inclusions calculated from the stress tensor is always near zero MPa, which indicates the action of purely deviatoric stresses in the matrix. |
