Reasons For Stress Relieving Steel Components

March 20, 2018 | Technical Articles

While steel parts are ideal for many designs, they do present challenges. One issue that needs to be addressed in the manufacturing process is stress relieving steel after it has been worked on.

Processes such as hot rolling, grinding, welding, quenching, cold working, and any type of cutting can create stress at a granular level of the steel, as well as with other types of metals and alloys. During the process of stress relieving steel, the interior structure of the metal is realigned, which causes stress relief. This eliminates the risk of failure and increases life cycles.

It is important to realize that in some processes, particularly with large areas of welding, it may not be possible to completely relieve stress. However, with the right process, it can be relieved to the point where it will not have a significant impact on the final product.

The Thermal Advantage

While it is possible to relieve the stress in metals through a variety of processes, thermal treatments are considered the most effective in most cases. During thermal stress relief, the material is put through a precisely controlled temperature increase and is held at a specific temperature for an exact amount of time. The temperature and the time will be set, but the type of steel will be used, as well as other factors.

After the period of uniform heating and holding, the part is then air-cooled slowly in still air. This is essential, as using moving air cools the metal too fast, preventing the desired stress relief.

Through stress relieving steel, it is possible to not only make the metal stronger, and more resistant to fatigue and failure, but to also remove distortions in an area of welding that may impact the aesthetics of the part.

Contact Bluewater Thermal Solutions today for your stress-relieving needs: 877.990.0050.

Tell Us How We Can Help.

Bluewater Thermal Solutions specializes in all types of heat treating processes, including brazing, nitriding, boronizing, carbonitriding & carburizing, and more. We offer a wide array of heat treating and boronizing processes at 11 different locations. To find out how we can serve your induction hardening needs, call us today at 877.990.0050 or request a quote on our website for services.

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