Measurement of grinding stresses with a combination of neutron and X-ray diffraction

Abstract

Abusive grinding conditions lead to near-surface residual stress in all work-piece materials. In this study, two techniques (X-ray and neutron diffraction) have been used to measure residual stress after grinding. Neutron diffraction has been used to validate near-surface X-ray stress measurements, using a novel surface scanning geometry to extend the neutron technique to the near-surface (<100μm) region. We demonstrate the potential benefit of using both techniques to measure stresses in critical aerospace and automotive components non-destructively, using X-ray diffraction for at-surface data, and neutron diffraction for the near-surface profile.

Key Words:

• Residual stress
• Grinding
• X-ray diffraction
• Neutron diffraction