A well-characterized residual stress distribution resulting from four-point
bending has been analysed using the neutron diffraction technique. Residua
l stresses were obtained from the strains measured at discrete positions th
rough the bent bar on the (111) and (311) crystal planes of a nickel-based
alloy using the appropriate diffraction elastic constants. In addition a pr
ofile refinement method was used to determine the residual stresses from av
erage strains from all the diffraction peaks in the spectrum. The measured
residual stress profiles have also been compared with strain gauge data and
with analytical and finite element predictions. It has been established th
at the profile refinement approach gives stresses which most closely match
those obtained by the non-diffraction techniques.