Residual stress analysis in linear friction welded in-service Inconel 718 superalloy via neutron diffraction and contour method approaches

The results provided insight into diverse challenges in quantitative analysis of residual stresses in welded IN 718 using diffraction techniques. Specifically, judicious selection of the beam width, height and stress-free lattice spacing were seen to be crucial to minimize measurement error and increase accuracy. Further, the contour method - a destructive technique relying on capturing the stress relaxation after electrical discharge machining - was used to characterize the residual stress distribution on two-dimensional plane sections of the welds. Both techniques suggested an increasing magnitude of residual stress originating from the base metal that reached a peak at the weld interface. Both methods indicated that the peak magnitude of residual stresses were below the yield stress of IN 718.