Residual stresses are those stresses that remain in a body when there is no external load applied. Numerous factors can induce residual stresses in the material, including cold forming. Thermal treatments of steel are widely used because they can improve the mechanical properties of the steel, such as toughness, tenacity, and resistance; however, thermal treatments can also produce residual stresses. This study aims to analyze the residual stresses present in a cold-forged part after heat treatments. Half-cylinder samples of AISI 1045 steel were cold-forged, and a wedge tool was pressed into their surface, causing a strain gradient. The samples were then heat-treated by annealing, normalizing, quenching, or quenching and tempering. A numerical simulation was also performed to aid in choosing the measurement points in the samples. The results show that residual stresses are dependent on the heat treatment and on the intensity and nature of previous residual stresses in the body.

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Welded parts are common in mechanical engineering. As all manufactured parts, they also present residual stresses introduced by the corresponding manufacturing process. Residual stresses can be beneficial or not because they can increase or reduce the useful life of the mechanical components, particularly when they are subjected to a cyclic stress in which they can fail by fatigue. In this study, SAE 1045 steel samples were welded by metal inert gas process, varying the speed and welding current. The welded samples were thereafter milled, including the welded region. Residual stresses on material as received, welded, and welded and subsequently milled were evaluated through the microhardness method. A factorial statistical design was used, and the results were studied by analysis of variance. It can be concluded that, in general, welding introduces compressive residual stresses which are improved by posterior milling operation, and there is an optimal set of operating parameters for this condition.

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