Non-Destructive Residual Stress Analysis of Induction Hardened Components by Neutron and X-Ray Diffraction

Abstract

In this paper the microstructural and residual-stress analysis of an induction hardened plate of medium carbon steel is described. The stress gradient was determined using laboratory X-ray diffraction (IWT, Bremen, Germany) and neutron strain scanning (ILL, Grenoble, France). Due to slight variations of chemical composition in the depth, matchstick like (cross section 2×2mm²) d0-reference samples were prepared from a similarly treated sample. The d0shift induced by variation of chemical composition was measured by neutron and by X-ray diffraction along the strain free direction (sin²ψ*) and used for the evaluation of the neutron stress calculation. The d0distribution obtained from the neutron measurement did not appear reliable while the method using X-ray diffraction seems to be an efficient and reliable method to determine d0profiles in small samples. The evaluation of neutron measurements was then done using the X-ray diffraction d0distribution. High compressive residual stresses were measured in the hardened layer followed by high tensile residual stresses in the core. A comparison of the neutron measurements with X-ray diffraction (XRD) depth profiles obtained after successive layer removal showed that both methods give similar results. However, these investigations opened the question about the direct comparison of the residual stresses obtained by neutron and XRD. Indeed, a correction of the neutron data regarding the residual stresses in thickness direction might be necessary as these are released in the case of X-ray diffraction measurements after layer removal.