Experimental and numerical analyses of residual stress redistributions in large steel dies: Influence of tempering cycles and rough milling

Abstract

The aim of the present research was to study the residual stress variations induced by heat treatment and rough milling operations of large forged steel blocks. The heat treatment process includes quenching and tempering operations. An efficient strategy based on a size sensitivity analysis (SSA) was proposed to reach the actual values of residual stresses in large-size steel blocks by using small-size workpieces in laboratory scale without damaging the blocks. The residual stresses were measured and compared after the first and second tempering and the rough milling. A 3D finite element (FE) model was developed to predict superficial residual stresses and was then calibrated experimentally. The results showed that the residual stresses after the first and second tempering were highly compressive on and near the surface. In addition, the resultants of the residual stresses after double tempering processes were almost equal. Therefore, the second tempering could be omitted from the manufacturing process. It was also found that both surface and sub-surface hoop and radial residual stresses were highly tensile after the rough milling. Finally, the 3D FE model can be used as a predictive tool to predict residual stresses for rough milling to avoid conducting expensive, time-consuming experimentations and measurements.