FE Simulation of the residual stress reduction in industrial-sized T-section component during a newly proposed manufacturing process

Abstract This paper focused on FE simulations of the residual stress distributions and evolutions during a newly established manufacturing process (i.e. Solution heat treatment, Cold rolling and Constrained ageing) for the 1:1 industrial-sized aircraft T-section component, which is a problematic component that is currently experiencing the residual stress-induced distortion issue. The integrated FE simulation included three sub-models (i) quenching, (ii) 1.5% cold rolling and (iii) T74 constrained ageing, using two sets of validated constitutive equations. The evolutions and distributions of the residual stress after quenching, cold rolling and constrained ageing were predicted. The simulation results showed that using the given process parameters, the distribution of the residual stresses from quenching was completely reversed and reduced. The final residual stresses in the transverse (σx) and thickness direction (σy) were reduced to ~ 0 MPa. The final residual stress in the rolling direction (σz) followed a “parabolic” distribution, with tensile stresses at the surface while uniform compression stresses ( ~ 140 MPa) at the core. This distribution is expected to benefit the subsequent machining distortion control. The predicted residual stress distributions after each processing stage further verified the effectiveness of the manufacturing process in producing low and controllable residual stresses and provide direct simulation results for industrial-sized components, which are valuable for future industrial application.