Review of residual stresses measurements techniques and their influence on steel performance in civil applications
Anna Paradowska
Australian Centre for Neutron Scattering , Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Lucas Heights, NSW 2234, Australia
E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract
There is an increasing interest in how residual stresses affect mechanical properties and how to estimate them practically - as the design of engineering components becomes less
conservative or a new alloys become available. Residual stresses induced in the fabrication of steel components may lead to distortion and significant loss of strength in a steel structure.
Therefore, research on the residual stress distribution in steel sections is becoming an
important consideration in steel structural analysis. Experimental measurements are essential to establish a quantitative understanding of the sign, magnitude and distribution of the residual stresses around the weld, within acceptable limits.
There are many methods for characterization of residual stresses in engineering components.
Measurements of residual stress can be very expensive and time consuming. Before selecting one method over another, it is important to consider the advantages and limitations of those techniques to optimize the benefits of the investigation.
In this paper, destructive, semi-destructive and non-destructive techniques are reviewed.
The focus is on the application of these techniques to the quantitative measurements of residual stress in steel welded components in civil applications.
Keywords: high strength steel, residual stress, non-destructive and destructive measurements techniques, neutron diffraction, welding
