Residual Stress Measurement in Low and High speed Machining of Aerospace Grade Aluminum Alloy

Abstract

Residual stresses are the major cause of failures in the materials subjected in engineering applications. These stresses must be catered for to an acceptable tolerance by enhancing the machining process. Aluminum 8081 T6 alloy was studied in the current research. Previous research shows that cutting speed, feed, and depth of cut are the main machining parameters which contribute in the incorporation of residual stress in the material. In this study, residual stresses under four different machining conditions were determined through XRD via layer removal method. Layer removal method was developed for this material in the research. The sin2ψ technique was used in X-Ray Diffraction to find residual stresses in the material at the surface, 100 and 200-micron depth.