Topics in Vibratory Stress Relief of

Welding processes are used for many applications and are being applied to even more as companies try to manufacture lighter and simpler products. The welding process can join two similar materials with a bond that has similar mechanical properties to the original material. Unfortunately, this process leaves residual stresses in the weldment, which if left untreated can cause distortion of the part, premature failure in fatigue, or cracking along the weld. A post-weld heat treatment is the traditional method of relieving these stresses, but is costly and a time consuming process. For weldments, which see heavy fatigue loading or are used for critical operations the expense of the heat treatment is required, since the post-weld heat treatment method reduces the residual stresses in the weldment, generates more uniform mechanical properties, and can change the crystal size and structure of the material. The post-weld heat treatment is an unnecessary expense for weldments where the only concerns are dimensional stability and light fatigue loads. Vibratory stress relief techniques could be use