Development of accurate contour residual stress measurement technique for sustainable structural integrity assessment in additive manufacturing

Accurate analysis of residual stress present within an engineering component plays a fundamental role to its sustainable structural integrity assessment. This is particularly important for a safety critical component within the power generation sectors, aerospace, and oil and gas industries. The accurate stress analysis not only allows operators to determine the life remaining in a component but also avoid over-conservative estimates and thereby contribute to life extension of engineering plants and components. By utilizing and unifying multiple residual stress analysis tools of different nature a robust and more accurate method of stress analysis is achieved. The main aim of the current study focusses on the development and optimization of a robust residual stress tool based on the contour technique to accurately analyse inherent stress in an engineering component.