TWI Industrial Member Report Summary 338/1987
By D J Smith, G A Webster and P J Webster
Background
The usefulness of the neutron diffraction technique to measure residual stresses nondestructively has been examined. Earlier residual stress studies using the neutron diffraction technique concentrated on establishing the validity of the method by comparison with established mechanical techniques. In the present investigation, these earlier studies have been extended to consider not only the residual field but also the prior deformation history. This report presents results from a programme of work undertaken to measure the effect of prior plastic deformation on the neutron diffraction characteristics of an aluminium alloy and A533B steel. The neutron diffraction method was also used to obtain the three-dimensional residual stress distribution in an aluminium alloy weld. Finally a destructive 'layering' method was applied to the weld to provide a means of direct comparison.