Measurement and prediction of through-section residual stresses in the manufacturing sequence of bearing components...

Through-section residual stresses in an asymmetric, thin-walled tapered bearing component were non-destructively studied via neutron diffraction after soft machining, heat treatment and hard turning. Two-dimensional area maps revealed non-uniform distributions of stress fields in both the thinnest and thickest sections of the component, indicating that the entire processing sequence plays a vital role — not only in distortion, but in the final stress state as well. A computational model was developed to further understand the extent of the distortion induced in bearing components as a result of process variables in the manufacturing sequence.