Experimental and Numerical simulation of a Three Point Bending Test of a Stainless Steel Beam

Abstract An advanced simulation process of a stainless steel member in ANSYS technology is described in this paper. A three-point bending test of a hot rolled stainless steel material grade 1.4301 (AISI 304) member has been conducted. The cross-section of the beam was IPE80, with the span of the supports equal to 240 mm. The results of the experimental test were compared with the materially and geometrically nonlinear numerical analysis. In order to describe the behavior of the stainless steel material, the Ramberg and Osgood model has been adopted along with multi linear stress-strain description with isotropic hardening feature. The finite element model has been created using software ANSYS classic APDL environment, and the results were compared.