Measurement of Near Surface Residual Stresses Using Electric Discharge Wire Machining

In previous work it has been shown that near surface residual stresses may be deduced from surface strains produced by making a cut of progressively increasing depth. The process of electric discharge wire machining (EDWM), by providing very narrow cuts, greatly improves the ability of the method to resolve a stress gradient near the surface. However, the EDWM process may also introduce residual stresses. In the present work a model for estimating the influence of EDWM is presented, and a procedure for eliminating its effect on residual stress measurement is developed. Experimental results validate the theoretical approach.