Plant and asset managers are responsible for the continued operation of assets such as boilers, turbines, piping, transport, etc. Unpredicted failures can result in costly down time, repairs and revenue loss. Often design or operational modifications are required but without quantified stress data being available. Experimental stress analysis can assist.
Theoretical stress analysis (Finite Element Analysis, FEA) and known closed form solutions are used where load and support boundary conditions are clearly defined but this method is just that, theoretical. When boundary conditions are more complex involving dynamic factors, resonance, thermal transients, etc., the design theoretical solution is required to be more advanced and some loads may be unforeseen or even unpredictable. We say, measure it, as strain gauges don’t lie.