Measurement and prediction of residual stresses in thick-section steel welds

Significant levels of residual stress are developed in the production of th ick-section steel welds. Residual stress can be measured by a variety of me thods, although few offer the ability to determine the spatial distribution completely through the thickness. This paper summarizes recent development s in the deep-hole method for measuring residual stresses in thick-section welds. Experimental results obtained from a variety of welded steel compone nts are described. The measurement method has also been used to provide val idation for finite element simulations of residual stresses in a welded cyl inder-to-nozzle stainless steel component. The paper describes the finite e lement weld analysis and compares the results with measurements obtained fr om several locations in the complex geometry. Overall, there is good agreem ent between the predicted and measured distributions of residual stress, bu t the magnitudes of predicted stress tend to be greater.