A Simple Estimating Method for Reduction of Welding Residual Stresses in Thick Welded Joint From Stress-Relief Annealing—Part III: Development of Estimating Equations for Multiaxial Stress State in Thick Welded Joint

Abstract

Stress-relief annealing (SR treatment) is often applied to relieve welding residual stresses in the fabrication process of pressure vessels, etc. This study aims at development of an efficient method as simple as hand calculation to estimate reduction of residual stresses of a very thick welded joint by SR treatment. In the first report, an estimating method was developed for relaxation tests, in uniaxial stress state, at changing and constant temperatures because the stress relaxation phenomenon is considerably similar to that observed in the SR treatment of a joint. In the second report, the stresses relaxed by SR treatment in a very thick welded joint were analyzed accurately by the finite element method based on thermal elastic-plastic creep theory. The characteristics of the changes of the welding residual stresses in multiaxial stress state were studied in detail for further development of the estimating method to SR treatment of a very thick welded joint, of which the stress state and boundary condition are very complex. In this report, the estimating equations in multiaxial stress states are developed for the stress relaxation phenomenon in the thick welded joints, based on the foregoing characteristics.