Residual stress relief mechanisms of 2219 Al-Cu alloy by thermal stress relief method

Monolithic thin-wall components of 2219 Al-Cu alloy are widely used in aerospace and military fields, and usually treated with solution and quenching to improve their comprehensive performance. However, a high magnitude residual stress is introduced into the components during the quenching process, which is unfavorable to the subsequent manufacturing process and service performance. Therefore, residual stress relief is essential to enhance the performance of the components. A conventional effective method is thermal stress relief (TSR). However, the underlying mechanisms of TSR still remain unclear and lack a quantitative interpretation. In the present work, the evolution and distribution laws of the residual stresses, tensile properties, Vickers hardness, dislocations, precipitated phases, and metallography during TSR were investigated. Based on the experimental results, dislocation theory and strengthening mechanisms were applied to reveal the underlying mechanisms of the residual stress relief by TSR. The results showed that the circumferential and axial residual stress relief rates can reach 86.37 and 85.77% after TSR, respectively. The residual stress relief after TSR is attributed to the dynamic evolution of dislocation configuration and density. The improvement in the mechanical properties mainly depends on the precipitated phases and is also affected by the stress orientation effect caused by the residual stress.