Residual stresses in turned AISI 4340 steel

The residual-stress distribution in the surface region of workpieces of annealed AISI 4340 steel that is turned under unlubricated conditions is determined using a deflection etching technique. The absolute value of the residual stresses at the machined surface are low and increase with an increase in depth beneath the machined surface to a maximum. They then decrease with a further increase in depth eventually becoming vanishingly small. Peak residual stresses are tensile at cutting speeds of 0.5 and 1.0 ms⁻¹ and are compressive at a cutting speed of 1.5 ms⁻¹ for all feed rates and depths of cut. Peak residual stresses and depth of the stressed region increase with an increase in feed rate and depth of cut, but decrease with an increase in cutting speed. The results of this investigation can be interpreted in terms of the variation of tool forces with cutting conditions.