Surface Preparation for XRD Residual Stress Measurements

Abstract:

A characteristic feature of the X Ray Diffraction (XRD) method for stress determinationt is that measurements occur at a thin surface layer. Steel sheets come with surfaces modified by lamination, cleaning (sandblasting, grinding) and even corrosion, which induce residual stresses or roughness inherent to the material. Therefore, surface preparation prior to the residual stress measurement is essential, although no standard procedure seems to be available. A general recommendation is to remove a thin layer so that only residual stresses related to the welding process will be measured. In this study, the use of portable electrolytic equipment was evaluated for mechanized surface material removal. Chemical compositions of electrolytic solutions and the influence of current on the removed material, removal time and temperature during the process were studied. As a result, a suitable chemical solution for electroetching of low carbon steel was developed and a set of “soft” parameters that allowed the removal of about 300 um in a reasonable time was found. Higher currents reduce the removal time, yet increasing the consumption of the solution and plate temperature (which could adversely alter the microstructure or generate thermal stresses). Furthermore, the influence of these parameters on the operability of the process was demonstrated.

Key-words:
Electrolytic removal; Residual stress measurement; X-Ray diffraction