Residual stress variation due to shot peening and thermal ageing on welded Ni-alloy pipe

Abstract

Residual stress measurements on pipe-shaped Ni-alloy, Inconel 625, were conducted. The pipes were made from a thin plate by roll-bend and weld along longitudinal direction of the pipe. Shot peening processes were performed to the outside surface of the pipes. The stresses were measured using X-ray stress measurement method. The residual stresses on the specimen before shot peening process were around 100 MPa toward longitudinal direction and around 250 MPa toward transvers direction to the welding direction. The residual stresses changed to 800 MPa in compressive by shot peening process. After thermal aging at 1173 K for 1 and 10 hour, the residual stresses changed to −100 MPa on the specimens with and without shot peening in both longitudinal and transvers directions. In addition, optical microscopic observation and the analyses of X-ray diffraction peaks were performed to reveal microstructural features due to welding, shot peening, and thermal aging. Equiaxed and columnar dendrites were generated in the center and the outer of fusion zone, respectively. The grains in the heat affected zone, between the fusion zone and base metal became larger. The grains near the surface even in welds became small by shot peening processes according to analyses of X-ray diffraction peaks. Even though induced compressive residual stresses were released during thermal ageing, refined grains had been smaller than before shot peening process.