Residual stress. Part 2 – Nature and origins

Residual stress is that which remains in a body that is stationary and at equilibrium with its surroundings. It can be detrimental when it reduces the tolerance of the material to an externally applied force, as is the case with welded joints. On the other hand, it can be exploited to design materials or components which are resistant to damage, toughened glass being a good example. This paper, the second part of a two part overview, the first part having been devoted to measurement techniques, examines the nature and origins of residual stresses across a range of scales. This extends from the long range residual stress fields in engineering components and welded structures, through the interphase stresses present in composites and coatings, to the microscale interactions of phase transformations with local stresses.