Residual Stress Measurements in Case-Hardened Steels

An investigation was made of the effect of material, quench severity and case depth on residual stress produced by carburizing. The distribution of stress was affected by carbon gradient and its effect on the M_s temperature in relation to the temperature gradient as influenced by quench severity. The maximum compressive stress was produced outside the case-core boundary near the location of initial transformation. With a more severe quench, it was brought out near the surface, resulting in a higher stress at the surface.