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Fritz Laboratory Reports Civil and Environmental Engineering

1973

Residual stresses in structural steel shapes--a

summary of measured values, February 1973
(74-12)
Negussie Tebedge

Lambert Tall

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Recommended Citation
Tebedge, Negussie and Tall, Lambert, "Residual stresses in structural steel shapes--a summary of measured values, February 1973
(74-12)" (1973). Fritz Laboratory Reports. Paper 350.
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337.34

ABSTRACT

A summary is presented of ther.mal residual

stresses and their distributions measured on various
structural steel shapes. The longitudinal residual
stresses are shown in figures drawn to scale suitable
for direct use by researchers and designers. Over
eighty different shapes are included comprising hot-
rolled (wide-flanges, angles, tubular shapes and rails)
and welded sections (H-, L-, T-, and box shapes). The
H-sections are in the majority, ranging in size from
W4xl3 to W14x730 for hot-rolled sections, and -from
H7x21 to H24xl122 for 'the welded sections. The major
portion of the reported results comes from various
research projects conducted at Lehigh University dUJ::"ing
the past two decades. Some results come from research
conducted elsewhere.
337.34

1. INTRODUCTION

Residual stresses have been studied theoretically

and experimentally for many years. However, it was only
in the past two decades that it was realized that
residual stresses are a major influence in the behavior
and strength of structural members. In particular, their
influence on the strength of compression members, such
as columns, has been widely recognized and has had a major
impact on the formulation of design criteria of many
specifications. In general, the presence of residual
stresses will influence the strength instability,
fatigue and fracture; in some situations, however, their
presence may improve the strength.

Residual stresses exist in almost all structural

shapes, whether rolled, welded or cold-straightened.
While it would be possible theoretically to remove
residual stresses from a member, for instance by stress
r~lieving, this is normally not practical nor economical;
however, it is possible to achieve a control oyer their
influence.

The residual stresses in several structural

sections have been determined both theoretically and
experimentally as part of various research projects at
Lehigh University under the technical guidance of the

,--
 -2

Column Research Council. -Limited information is also

available from research conducted elsewhere. However,

-
in utilizing the available information two difficulties
arise:
.

(i) .A significant portion of the available re-

sults does not exist in the published literature, and
(ii) The results found in the published literature are
in most cases drawn at too small a scale to be of direct
use, even though they serve the purpose for preliminary
investigations.

·The purpose of the work presented here is

an attempt to fill part of this gap. The .first objective
is to review previous experimental investigations and to
assemble the results in a systematic manne~ following a •• "!."... : -

standard figure format. The work is concerned primarily

with longitudinal residual stresses in structural sections
of hot-rolled (~ide flanges, angles, rails and tubular
shapes) as well as built-up sections (H-,L-,T- and box
shapes). The figures will permit researchers and de-
. signers a better access of available information and can
also be utilized whenever tests'are planned to provide
design data or verify theoretically derived design pro-
cedures, by providing definitive information.

'-.
 -3

2. FORMATION OF RESIDUAL STRESSES.

The mechanics involved in the formation of

residual stresses is quite complex. In general, residual
stresses are formed in structural members as a result of
plastic deformations. These plastic deformations may
be due to cooling after hot-rolling, welding or oxygen-
cutting (thermal residual stresses); or they may be due
to fabricating operations of the finished cold product
such as in cold-straightening (deformational residual
stresses). Since residual stresses are internal stresses
which exist in an externally unloaded member, the stresses
must be distrib~ted through the cross section such that
they satisfy all equilibrium conditions. (29)

Plastic deformations due to cooling result from

the fact that some parts of the shape cool more rapidly
than others (differential cooling), thus causing plastic
deformations in the slower cooling portions. For instance,
in rolled wide-flange shapes it is obvious that the flange
tips would cool more rapidly than thej.uncture of flange
and web. The cooling portions will begin to gain stiff-
ness and- the strains created by the differential cooling
will result in internal residual stress patterns. In the
same manner, welding or oxygen-cutting operations intro- .
duce residual stresses as a result of the localized heat
 -4

input. In general, the glower cooling portion will

usually contain tensile residual stresses which must be
balanced by compressive stress in the remaining cross
~ .
section. (29)

Residual stresses introduced due to cold-

straightening result from deformations exceeding the
elastic limit in the cross-section of the member. The
nonuniformity of the cooling process of rolled steel
sections will usually result in cooled specimens of
. unacceptable out-of-straightnesses. Such distortions are
corrected by cold-straightening at the steel plant either
by gagging or rotorizing, thus' introducing a redis-
tribution of stresses. Residual stresses.in straightened
members are quite different from those measured in the
as-rolled member. (37) The residual stresses in the flanges
are more randomly distributed and are usually significantly
lower than the thermal residual stress existing in un-
straightened sections. Residual stresses due to cold-
straightening have not been included in this study.
 -5

3. MEASUREMENT OF RESIDUAL STRESSES

The residual stresses presented in this study'

have been measured using the "Sectioning Method". This

method has been used for decades to measure residual

stresses in structural-steel members. The method has

proven itself adequate, accurate and economical if proper

care is taken in the preparation of the specimens and

the" ~rocedure of measurement. A detailed description of

the procedure to carry out such measurement is given in

Ref. 36.

The method of sectioning is based on the prin-

ciple that internal stresses are relieved when the

specimen is cut into many strips of smaller cross section.

The method is best applied to members when the longitudinal

stresses alone are important. The method can also be

applied to measure the residual stress distribution

through the thickness by employing the "slicing" technique.

The steps in the sectioning and slicing process are illus-

trated schematically in Fig. '1.

 ':'"6

4. SCATTER OF RESIDUAL STRESSES

The most important factors that cause variation

or scatter of residual stresses between different steel

members are the geometry, steel grade and the fabrication

procedures. (32) However, due to uncontrollable factors,

the residual stress distributions may vary between

different members of the same geometry and manufacturing

condition.

The variation of residual stresses measured

on six European heavy shapes of the same nominal size,

but rolled at three different mills (Belgium, Germany

and It~ly), is shown in Fig. 2. The specimens were chosen

to furnish a good representation of the population of

columns obtainable in Europe. (35) As shown in the figure,

the variation of residual stress distribution appears to

be reasonably small.

The variation of residual stresses as measured

at different positions on the same specimen are shown

in Fig. 3 for a light rolled wide-flange shape and for

a heavy welded H-shape. In both cases, the variations

are also seen to be small.

The effect of yield strength on the residual

stress distribution is not as great as the effect of

L • (29,30). .
geometry. Res1dual stresses in 11ght rolled

. ,,
 '-7

wide flange shapes made of four different steel grades

and a heavy welded shape made of two different steel

\ grades are shown in Fig. 4. Except for the shape of

steel grade ASTM 514, the residual stresses in the flanges

are similar; there are some variations in the web, but

no greater than that for any group of the same steel.

ASTM 514 is a quenched and tempered steel; it would be

expected that steels that require heat treatment after

rolling will exhibit a different residual stress pattern.

In conclusion, as indicated in Figs. 2 to 4,

the variation between residual stress distribution in

different 'members of the same'geometry and manUfacturing

procedure appear to be fairly small. This observation

.
1S , agreemen t W1'th preV10us
1n . .
1nves t 19a
' t'10ns. (4,32)

Hence, the residual stress distribution in a particular

section may be predicted from data obtained on a similar

. .. shape fabricated under the same manufacturing conditions •
 5. RESIDUAL STRESSES IN HOT-ROLLED SHAPES

Hot-rolled shapes have been used in construction

rather extensively in the past and are still the dominant

structural shapes in use. Studies on the strength of

hot-rolled columns in the late 1940's began with measure-

m~nts of residual stresses. Thereafter, extensive experi-

mental and theoretical studies of thermal residual

. (2 5 13)
stresses have been carrled out. " Most of the

results reported in this paper. come from various research

projects at Lehigh University conducted under the tech-

nical guidance of the Column Research Council.

The principal factors which influence the mag-

nitude and distribution of residual stresses in rolled

sections are the shape of the cross section, rolling

temperature and cooling conditions. (2) The nature and

formation of residual stresses can readily be visualized

by considering the cooling process. The flange tips

and the web of a relatively light wide-flange section,

for example, can be visualized to cool more rapidly than

the central flange areas and the web-to-flange juncture;

consequently, the former areas in most cases result in

compressive residual stresses whereas the latter areas

result in tension. While a similar conclusion can also

be made for heavier shapes, the cooling process in such

 -9

shapes is not as straightforward to understand as it is

in light shapes. In heavy members, the mechanics re-

garding the combined effects of the heat transfer of

the surface area and the internal conductivity of the

volume of the member are quite involved. Experimental

investigations on heavy shapes have indicated that the

residual stresses vary significan'tly through the thick-

ness. Also, the residual stresses tend to increase

with increasing size of the member. (2)

A series of residual stresses are presented

in Figs. 5 to 57 for various rolled wide-flange shapes,

"angles, tubular shapes and rails. For each particular

case the source reference is also given. The residual

stresses for wide-flange shapes are in the'majority and

the shape sizes range from a very light shape W4x13

to the heaviest rolled shape, the W14x730 "jumbo" shape.

'.
 -10

6. RESIDUAL STRESSES IN WELDED SHAPES

Welded built-up shapes are used frequently

as structural members. The most common shapes currently

produced are the H and box shapes. The versatility of

the method of manufacture has encouraged the fabrication

of various forms of cross sections. From the mid-1950's

on, attention has been directed to residual stresses set

up by the welding process. The first studies were on

welded plates and shapes of medium size. (28,31) An

extensive research program on residual stresses in heavy

welded plates and shapes underway at Lehigh University,

is nearing completion.

Generally, the magnitude of residual stress is

independent of the grade of steel, toe welding geometry

and the welding conditions. Recent investigations have

shown that while welding has a significant influence

on the overall distribution of residual stress in small

and medium-size shapes, the effect appears to be local

in heavy shapes. (3) As in rolled shapes, the residual

stress in heavy shapes vary significnatly through the

thickness.

The residual stresses in several welded H-

shapes, box shapes and miscellaneous shapes are given

in Figs. 58 to 88.
'.
 -11

7. SUMMARY

This report summarizes the results of a long-·

term investigation on thermal residual stresses measured

in various structural shapes. The longitudinal residual

stresses of over eighty different shapes are presented

following a standard figure format suitable for direct

use by researchers and designers. Residual stresses

due to cold-straightening have not been included in this

report. The sections presented include hot-rolled

wide-flanges, angles, tubular shapes and rails, and also,

welded sections of H-, L-, T-, and box shapes. The

residual stresses were measured by the sectioning method.

The most important factor~ that cause variation

or scatter of residual stresses between different members

are the geometry and the fabrication procedure. The

effect of yield strength on the residual stress distribu-

tion was found to be small. The distribution measured

at various sections along the length of a particular

member, or in different members of the same geometry and

manufacturin~.procedure appear to be small. For all prac-

tical purposes, the thermal residual stress distribution

in a particular section may be predicted from data ob-

tained in a similar shape fabricated under the same

manufacturing conditions:
 -12

8. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This i,nvestigation is part of the research,

project "Residual Stresses in Thick Welded Plates"
which is being conducted at Fritz Engineering Laboratory,
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The American Iron and Steel
Institute, the American Institute of Steel Construction,
the Column Research Council and the National Science
Foundation (Grant GK 28049XI) jointly sponsor the study.'

, The technical guidance of Task Group 1 of the

'Column Research Council, under the chairmanship of
John A. Gilligan, is gratef~lli acknowledged.
.-=.....:

Acknowledgments are due to the many investiga-

tors who, over the years, carried out ·research on residual
stresses and whose results became part of this investiga-
tion. Their names are referred to in the references.
In particular, Lynn S. Beedle, Director of Fritz Engineering
Laboratory, was associated directly with the work in its
.... ,

formative years, and has given encouragement and advice

throughout the study.

Thanks are due to John Gera and Ms. Sharon

Balogh for the preparation of the drawings and to,Ms.
Karen Philbin' for her care in typing the manuscript.
 ·10. REFERENCES

1. Adams, P. F., Lay, M. G. and Galambos, T. V.

EXPERIMENT ON HIGH STRENGTH STEEL MEMBERS,
Fritz Engineering Laboratory Report No. 297.8,
J·uly 1964.

2. Alpsten, G. A.
THERMAL RESIDUAL STRESSES IN HOT-ROLLED STEEL
MEMBERS, Fritz Engineering Laboratory Report
No. 337.3, December 1968

3. Alpsten, G. A. and Tall, L.

RESIDUAL STRESSES IN HEAVY 'NELDED SHAPES, The
Welding Journal, Vol. 49, March 1970.

4. Alpsten, G. A.
VARIATION IN MECHANICAL AND CROSS-SECTIONAL
PROPERTIES IN STEEL, Proceedings, International
Conference on Planning and Design of Tall
Buildings, Lehigh University, August 1972.

5. Beedle, L. S. and Tall, L.

BASIC COLUm~ STRENGTH, Journal of the Structural
Division, ASCE, Vol. 86, ST7, July 1960.

6. Birnstiel, C., Leu, K. C., Tesoro, J. A. and Tomasetti,

R.L.
EXPERIMENTS ON H-COLUMNS UNDER BIAXIAL BENDING,
. Research Division Report, New York University,
January 1967.

7. Bjorhovde, R., Brozzetti, J., Alpsten, G. A. and

Tall, L. .
RESIDUAL STRESSES IN THICK WELDED PLATES, The
Welding Journal, Vol. 51, August 1972.

8. Brozzetti, J., Alpsten, G. A. and Tall, L.

RESIDUAL STRESSES IN HEAVY ROLLED SHAPE l4WF730,
Fritz Engineering Laboratory Report No. 337.10,
January 1970.

9. Estuar, F. R. and Tall, L.

THE COLUMN STRENGTH OF HOT-ROLLED TUBULAR SHAPES--
AN EXPERI}ffiNTAL EVALUATION, Fritz Engineering
Laboratory Report No. 296.1, April 1965.
 10. Fujita, Y.
THE MAGNITUDE AND DISTRIBUTION OF RESIDUAl,
STRESSES, Fritz Engineering Laboratory Report
No. 220A.20, May 1955.

11. Gozum, A. T. and Huber, A. W:

MATERIAL PROPERTIES, RESIDUAL STRESS AND COLUMN
STRENGTH, Fritz Engineering Laboratory Report
No. 220A.14, May 1955.

12. Huber, A. W.
RESIDUAL STRESSES IN WIDE FLANGE BEAMS AND
COLUMNS, Fritz Engineering Laboratory Report
No. 220A.25, July 1956.

13. Huber, A. W. and Beedle, L. S.

RESIDUAL STRESS AND THE COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH
OF STEEL, The Welding Journal, Vol. 33, No.
12, December 1954.
14. Kim, S. W. and Daniels, J. H.
EXPERIMENTS ON RESTRAINED COLUMNS PERMITTED TO
SWAY, Fritz Engineering Laboratory Report No.
346.3, June 1970.

15. Kishima, Y.
THE STRENGTH OF WELDED FLAME-CUT COLUMNS OF
ASTM A572 (50) STEEL, M.S. Thesis, Lehigh
University, September 1969, also Fritz
Engineering Laboratory Rep'ort No. 321.2, with
L. Tall and G. Alpsten, June 1969.
16. Lozano, S.
RESIDUAL STRESS DISTRIBUTION IN WELDED BEAMS
SUBJECTED TO REPEATED BENDING, M.S. Thesis,
Lehigh University, June 1970, also Fritz
Engineering Laboratory Report No. 358.17,
with B~ Yen ~nd P. Marek, June 1970.

17. Lee, G. C.
AN EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF THE STRENGTH
OF A RIVETED BUILT-UP COLUMN, Fritz Engineering
Laboratory Report No. 249.3, December 1957.

18. Lim, L. C. and Lu, L. W.

BEHAVIOR OF STRUCTURAL SUBASSEMBLAGES WITH
LATERALLY UNSUPPORTED COLUMNS, Fritz En-
gineering Laboratory Report No. 329.3, June
1970.

t.
19. Lukey, A. F. and Adams, P. F.
ROTATION CAPACITY OF WIDE-FLANGE BEMiS UNDER
MOMENT GRADIENT, Behavior of High Strength Steel
Members Report No.1, University of Alberta.
20. Marquez, E. S.
RESIDUAL STRESS MEASUREMENTS ON l2B19 SHAPE
(A572), Fritz Engineering Laboratory Report
No. 343.1, August 1967.
21. McFalls, R. K. and Tall, L.
A STUDY OF WELDED COLUMNS MANUFACTURED FROM
FLAME-CUT .PLATES, The Welding Journal, Vol.
48, April 1969.
22. Nagaraja Rao, N. R.
THE STRENGTH OF HYBRID STEEL COLUMNS, Ph.D.
Dissertation, Lehigh University, April 1965,
University Microfilms, Inc., Ann Arbor.
23. Nagaraja Rao, N. R., Estuar, F. R. and Tall, L.
RESIDUAL STRESSES IN WELDED SHAPES, Tne
Welding Journal, Vol. 43, 1964.
24. Nitta, A., Ketter, R. L. and Thurlimann, B.
STRENGTH OF ROUND COLUMNS OF USS T-l STEEL,
Fritz Engineering Laboratory Report No. 272.1,
October 1959.
25. Nuttall, N. L. and Adams, P. F.
FLEXURAL AND LATERAL-TORSIONAL BUCKLING STRENGTHS
OF DOUBLE ANGLE STRUTS, Structural Engineering
Report No. 30, University of Alberta, Nov. 1970.
26. Odar, E., Nishino, F. and Tall, L.
RESIDUAL STRESSES IN WELDED BUILT-UP liT-I"
SHAPES, Welding Research Council, Bulletin
No. 121, April 1965.
27. Odar, E., Nishino, F. and Tall, L.
RESIDUAL STRESSES IN ROLLED HEAT-TREATED "T-l"
SHAPES, Welding Research Council,. Bulletin No.
121, April 1967.
28. Tall, L.
THE STRENGTH OF WELDED BUILT-UP COLUMNS, Ph.D •.
Dissertation, Lehigh University, May 1961,
l!niversity Microfilm, Inc., Ann Arbor. "
.29. Tall, L.
RESIDUAL STRESSES IN WELDED PLATES - A
THEORETICAL STUDY,The Welding Journal, Vol.
43, January 1964.

30. Tall, L.
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN THE STUDY OF COLUMNS
BEHAVIOR, The Journal of the Institute of
Engineers, Australia, Vol. 36, No. 12,
December 1964.

31. Tall, L.
WELDED BUILT-UP COLUMNS, Fritz Engineering
Laboratory Report No. 249.29, April 1966.

32. Tall, L. and Alpsten, G. A.

ON THE SCATTER IN YIELD STRENGTH AND RESIDUAL
STRESSES IN STEEL MEMBERS, IABSE Symposium on
Concepts of Safety of Structures and Methods
of Design, London, 1969.

33. Tebedge, N.
RESIDUAL STRESS MEASUREMENT - A STUDY OF METHODS,
M.S. Thesis, Lehigh University, May 1969, also
Fritz Engineering Laboratory Report No. 337.8
with G. Alpsten and L. Tall, March 1970.

34. Tebedge, N., Marek, P., and Tall, L.

ON TESTING METHODS FOR HEAVY COLUMNS, Fritz
Engineering Laboratory Report No. 351. 4, March
1971; also, Construction Metallique, Vol. 4,
December 1971 (in French).

35. Tebedge, N., Chen, W. F. and Tall, L.

EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES ON COLUMN STRENGTH OF
EUROPEAN HEAVY SHAPES, Proceedings, Colloquium
on Column Strength, CTICM, Paris, November 1972.

36. Tebedge, N., Alpsten, G. A. and Tall, L.

. RESIDUAL STRESS MEASUREMENT BY THE SECTIONING
METHOD, Experimental Mechanics, Vol. 13, No.2,
February 1973.

37. Yang, C. H., Beedle, L. S. and Johnston, B. G.

RESIDUAL STRESS AND THE YIELD STRENGTH OF STEEL
BEAMS, The Welding Journal, Vol. 31, No.4, 1952.

38. Yasoshima, Y.
ON THE RESIDUAL STRESS IN RAIL, Journal of the
Faculty of Engineering, University of Tokyo,
Series A, No.5, 1967.
 39. Yu, C. K. and Tall, L.
A PILOT STUDY ON THE STRENGTH OF 5Ni- Cr- Mo-V
STEEL COLUMNS, Experimental Mechanics, Vol. 8,
No.1, January 1968.

40. Yura, J. A. and Lu, L. W.

ULTIMATE LOAD TESTS ON BRACED MULTI-STORY FRAMES,
Fritz Engineering Laboratory Report No. 273.60,
May 1968.

_. I
~,

..... ~.-- .....

· .
Fig. 1 Principle of the Sectioning Method for Residual Stress Measurements

Fig. 2 Residual Stresses as Measured in Six Hot-Rolled Heavy Wide-Flange Shapes

Fig. 3 Residual Stresses Measured at Different Positions

Fig. 4 Effect of Yield Strength on Residual Stress Distribution

Figs. 5 through 57 Residual Stresses in Hot-Rolled Shapes

Figs. 58 through 88 Residual Stresses in Welded Sections