The role of residual stress in the tension and compression response of WC–Ni

The interaction of uniaxial applied stress with the thermal residual stress state in a WC–10 wt.% Ni cemented carbide composite was studied. A previously proposed model, based on results for uniaxial compressive loading, explains the observed asymmetric relaxation of the pre-existing thermal residual stress. This model predicts that the sense of the asymmetry would reverse in the case of tensile loading. The main purpose of the present work was to test this prediction. The reversal of signs was observed. The addition of tensile data has enabled the role of thermal residual stress on stress–strain response to be further elucidated. More complex behavior is observed with respect to the response of the variance in residual stresses, as measured by changes in diffraction peak breadths.