Material Properties from Miniature Punch Test and Finite Element Analysis

Abstract

The Punch test provides a technique for the determination of material properties from small specimens. Using the rectangular specimen, the test can be used to control the orientation of the cracking plane which was not possible in the ball punch on a circular disk design. A three dimensional quarter finite element model was formulated to simulate the punch test for 150°C and 300°C tests performed on So8 steel. The comparison of predicted and measured load-deflection and stress-strain curves showed good agreement between FE model and tests. A user interface, which allows for routine application, with the necessary postprocessing capabilities was developed and tested for the purpose of simulating miniature punch tests and estimating stress-strain data from measured load curves.