Calculation of the bending capacity of steel sheets with a yield strength gradient.

The problem of plane strain pure bending of a plate made of a linearly elastic–perfectly plastic material with a through-the-thickness gradient of strength properties and tension-compression asymmetry is considered. The gradient of strength properties was produced by accelerated one-sided cooling of the plates made of A32 ship steel from the austenitic temperatures. The purpose of the present work was to analyze the effect of various approximations of the strength gradient on the accuracy of determining the critical bending moment corresponding to the complete yielding of the sheets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]