Finite element calculation and measurement of thermal stresses in quenched plates of high–strength 7075 aluminium alloy

AbstractThick parts of high–strength aluminium alloys usually undergo a drastic quench which gives rise to thermal stresses and may cause distortion of products. The control of complex phenomena involved during quenching is achieved by determining the temperature distribution, thermal strains, and residual stresses using the MARC finite element program. In this approach, the thermo mechanical problem is assumed to be uncoupled, i.e. the thermal and mechanical calculations are solved consecutively. First a non–linear heat transfer analysis is performed taking the temperature dependence of the thermophysical properties and transient conditions of convection at the surface of the plate into account. This is followed by a thermo–elastoplastic stress analysis using the predicted temperature distributions, assuming an isotropic behaviour of the material and taking the temperature dependence of its mechanical properties into account. The calculation of thermal stresses occurring during the cold and hot water quenching of a 70 mm thick plate of 7075 alloy using this method shows a good agreement between theoretical predictions and experimental values of residual stresses, as measured by the layer removal method.MST/2