Distortion and Residual Stress in Quenched Aluminum Bars

Abstract

Predictions of distortion and residual stress for rectangular bars, quenched on one surface, are compared with experimental measurements. The heat flow is unidirectional, and the dominant stress component acts along the length of the bars. Thermocouples measure the transient temperature distribution, and displacement transducers monitor the distortion of the bars into circular arcs. The thermal history inferred from an inverse heat transfer calculation drives the mechanical stress and deformation analysis. The numerical analyses demonstrate the sensitivity of the quench distortion to the thermal boundary conditions, the thermophysical properties and the constitutive model. Agreement between the predicted and measured distortion is only qualitative. The predicted residual stress field compares very well with the residual stress inferred from layer removal techniques.