Microscopic phase-dependent residual stresses in the machined surface layer of two-phase alloy

Residual stresses in the machined surface layer, which affect fatigue crack nucleation and stress corrosion cracking especially in aerospace engines and gas turbines for power generation, depend on microstructures in case of machining a multiple-phase alloy. Hence, the microscopic phase-dependent residual stresses should be known when a machined part is used under critical stress conditions and circumstances. In the present paper, finite element modeling of machining two-phase alloys has been developed for obtaining the residual stresses in the machined surface layer. Iron and steels, which consist of different volume fractions of ferrite and eutectoid pearlite, were selected as work materials to be machined. First, it was confirmed that the calculated results agree well in chip formation and cutting forces with experimental ones. Then, residual stresses in the machined surface layer were obtained for different carbon contents and regular/random arrangements of microstructure. As a result, it is found that the microstructure of the workpiece has a great influence on the residual stress distribution on the machined surface and that tensile surface residual stress on pearlite is much larger than that on ferrite. Finite element machining of the work material with stripe arrangement of ferrite and pearlite revealed that the peak of residual stress would be reduced by decreasing the width of stripes of ferrite and pearlite.