Numerical calculations of residual–stress relaxation in quenched plates

Abstract

Methods of thermal stress relief such as stretching and compression are compared for different thermal and mechanical properties during quenching. The heat equation for a simple geometric model, such as an infinite plate, is solved with an experimental surface conductance and a step–by–step method of determining the temperature field in the thickness of the plate. This field is introduced as data for the uncoupled thermal elastic–plastic model for quenching. In the calculation of the plastic–strain path, the thermal and mechanical properties are considered as temperature dependent for a homogeneous and isotropic material. Good agreement is found between the calculated residual stresses and experimental values for an aluminium alloy and a stainless steel. The predicted residual–stress distributions and strain history are then used as data for the numerical simulation of stress–relief methods with an incremental integration of the Prandtl–Reuss equation. This analysis allows the observation of the effects of small variations in mechanical properties during quenching on the residual–stress field after mechanical stress relief and the theoretical comparison of different processes.

MST/6