(ASM HANDBOOK)

Introduction
STRESS-RELIEF HEAT TREATING is used to relieve stresses that remain locked in a structure as a consequence of
a manufacturing sequence. This definition separates stress-relief heat treating from postweld heat treating in that the
goal of postweld heat treating is to provide, in addition to the relief of residual stresses, some preferred metallurgical
structure or properties (Ref 1, 2). For example, most ferritic weldments are given postweld heat treatment to improve
the fracture toughness of the heat-affected zones (HAZ). Moreover, austenitic and nonferrous alloys are frequently
postweld heat treated to improve resistance to environmental damage.
Stress-relief heat treating is the uniform heating of a structure, or portion thereof, to a suitable temperature below the
transformation range (Ac1 for ferritic steels), holding at this temperature for a predetermined period of time, followed by
uniform cooling (Ref 2, 3). Care must be taken to ensure uniform cooling, particularly when a component is composed
of variable section sizes. If the rate of cooling is not constant and uniform, new residual stresses can result that are
equal to or greater than those that the heat-treating process was intended to relieve.
Stress-relief heat treating can reduce distortion and high stresses from welding that can affect service performance.
The presence of residual stresses can lead to stress-corrosion cracking (SCC) near welds and in regions of a
component that has been cold strained during processing. Furthermore, cold strain per se can produce a reduction in
creep strength at elevated temperatures.
Residual stresses in a ferritic steel cause significant reduction in resistance to brittle fracture. In a material that is not
prone to brittle fracture, such as an austenitic stainless steel, residual stresses can be sufficient to provide the stress
necessary to promote SCC even in environments that appear to be benign (Ref 4).

Sources of Residual Stress

There are many sources of residual stress; they can occur during processing of the material from ingot to final product
form (Ref 4, 5). Residual stresses can be generated during rolling, casting, or forging; during forming operations such
as shearing, bending, drawing, and machining; and during fabrication, in particular, welding. Residual stresses are
present whenever a component is stressed beyond its elastic limit and plastic flow occurs. Additional information on
residual stresses can be found in the article "Defects and Distortion in Heat-Treated Parts" in this Volume.
Bending a bar during fabrication at a temperature where recovery cannot occur (cold forming, for example) will result
in one surface location containing residual tensile stresses, whereas a location 180° away will contain residual
compressive stresses (Ref 6).
Quenching of thick sections results in high residual compressive stresses on the surface of the material. These high
compressive stresses are balanced by residual tensile stresses in the internal areas of the section (Ref 7).
Grinding is another source of residual stresses; these can be compressive or tensile in nature, depending on the
grinding operation. Although these stresses tend to be shallow in depth, they can cause warping of thin parts (Ref 8).
Welding. The cause of residual stresses that has received the most attention in the open literature is welding. The
residual stresses associated with the steep thermal gradient of welding can occur on a macroscale over relatively long
distances (reaction stresses) or can be highly localized (microscale) (Fig. 1). Welding usually results in localized
residual stresses that approach levels equal to or greater than the yield strength of the material at room temperature.
Fig. 1 Examples of the causes of residual stresses: (a) Thermal distortion in a structure due to heating by solar
radiation. (b) Residual stresses due to welding. (c) Residual stresses due to grinding. Source: Ref 4

Alleviation of Residual Stresses

A number of factors influence the relief of residual stresses, including level of stress, permissible (or practicable) time
for their relief, temperature, and metallurgical stability.
Time-Temperature Factors. The relief of residual stresses is a time-temperature-related phenomenon (Fig. 2),
parametrically correlated by the Larson-Miller equation:
Thermal effect = T(log t + 20)10-3 (Eq 1)
where T is temperature (Rankin), and t is the time in hours. It is evident in Fig. 2 that similar relief of residual stresses
can be achieved by holding a component for longer periods at a lower temperature. For example, holding a piece at
595°C (1100°F) for 6 h provides the same relief of residual stress as heating at 650°C (1200°F) for 1 h.

Alloy Considerations. Relief of residual stresses represents typical stress-relaxation behavior, in which the material
undergoes microscopic (sometimes even macroscopic) creep at the stress-relief temperature. Creep-resistant
materials, such as the chromium-bearing low-alloy steels and the chromium-rich high-alloy steels, normally require
higher stress relief heat-treating temperatures than conventional low-alloy steels. Typical stress-relief temperatures for
low-alloy ferritic steels are between 595 and 675°C (1100 and 1250°F). For high-alloy steels, these temperatures may
range from 900 to 1065°C (1650 to 1950°F).
For high-alloy steels, such as the austenitic stainless steels, stress relieving is sometimes done at temperatures as low
as 400°C (750°F). However, at these temperatures, only modest decreases in residual stress are achieved. Residual
stresses can be significantly reduced by stress-relief heat treating those austenitic materials in the temperature range
from 480 to 925°C (900 to 1700°F). At the higher end of this range, nearly 85% of the residual stresses may be relieved.
Stress-relief heat treating in this range, however, may result in sensitizing susceptible material. This metallurgical effect
can lead to SCC in service (Ref 9). Frequently, solution-annealing temperatures of about 1065°C (1950 °F) are used
to achieve a reduction of residual stresses to acceptably low values.
Some copper alloys may fail by SCC due to the presence of residual stresses. These stresses are usually relieved by
mechanical or thermal stress-relief treatments. Stress-relief heat treating tends to be favored because it is more
controllable, less costly, and also provides a degree of dimensional stability. Stress-relief heat treating of copper alloys
is usually carried out at relatively low temperatures, in the range from 200 to 400°C (390 to 750°F) (Ref 5).
Resistance of a material to the reduction of its residual stresses by thermal treatment can be estimated with a
knowledge of the influence of temperature on its yield strength. Figure 3 provides a summary of the yield strength to
temperature relationship for three generic classes of steels. The room-temperature yield strength of these materials
provides an excellent estimate of the level of localized residual stress that can be present in a structure. To relieve the
residual stress requires that the component be heated to a temperature where its yield strength approaches a value
that corresponds to an acceptable level of residual stress. Holding at this temperature can further reduce the residual
stress through the reduction of strain due to creep. Uniform cooling after residual-stress heat treating is mandatory if
these levels of residual stress are to be maintained.
(HEAT TREATMENT LECTURE / POWERPOINT)

Stress Relief Annealing

 Due to various processes like quenching (differential cooling of surface and interior), machining, phase
transformations (like martensitic transformation), welding, etc. the residual stresses develop in the sample.
Residual stress can lead to undesirable effects like warpage of the component.
 The annealing is carried out just below A1, wherein ‘recovery*’ processes are active (Annihilation of dislocations,
polygonization).

Residual stresses → Heat below A1 → Recovery → Annihilation of dislocations, polygonization

910°C

723°C
Stress Relief Annealing A1

↑
T

Wt% C
0.8 %
(HEAT TREATMENT LECTURE)
Stress Relief Annealing
It is an annealing process below the transformation temperature Ac1, with subsequent slow cooling, the aim of which
is to reduce the internal residual stresses in a workpiece without intentionally changing its structure and mechanical
properties.
Causes of Residual Stresses
1. Thermal factors (e.g., thermal stresses caused by temperature gradients within the workpiece during heating or
cooling)
2. Mechanical factors (e.g., cold-working)
3. Metallurgical factors (e.g., transformation of the microstructure)
Stress-Relief Annealing Process
 For plain carbon and low-alloy steels the temperature to which the specimen is heated is usually between 450 and
650˚C, whereas for hot working tool steels and high-speed steels it is between 600 and 750˚C
 This treatment will not cause any phase changes, but recrystallization may take place.
 Machining allowance sufficient to compensate for any warping resulting from stress relieving should be provided.
Some Notes
 In the heat treatment of metals, quenching or rapid cooling is the cause of the greatest residual stresses.
 To activate plastic deformations, the local residual stresses must be above the yield strength of the material.
 Because of this fact, steels that have a high yield strength at elevated temperatures can withstand higher levels of
residual stress than those that have a low yield strength at elevated temperatures.
 Soaking time also has an influence on the effect of stress-relief annealing.
Relation Between Heating Temp. and Reduction in Residual Stresses
Higher temperatures and longer times of annealing may reduce residual stresses to lower levels.
Stress Relief Annealing – Cooling
 The residual stress level after stress-relief annealing will be maintained only if the cool down from the annealing
temperature is controlled and slow enough that no new internal stresses arise.
 New stresses that may be induced during cooling depend on the (1) cooling rate, (2) on the cross-sectional size
of the workpiece, and (3)on the composition of the steel.