Thermal residual microstresses in steel-NbC particulate composites studied by X-ray and neutron diffraction

During cooling of particle reinforced metal matrix composites (PMMCs) residual microstresses emerge owing to the different physical and mechanical properties of the metal matrix and the coarse quasi-ceramic hard phases. The thermal residual microstress state at the sample surface and in the bulk are analysed using X-ray diffraction and neutron diffraction methods, respectively. While the X-ray diffraction results reveal a strong influence of the sample preparation on the surface residual stress state the results obtained by neutron diffraction are in good agreement with theoretical considerations.