A Systems Engineering View of Distortion Control in Heat Treated Parts

The effective control of distortion requires a systems engineering approach to identify and understand the many factors that can contribute to distortion and residual stress in heat treated parts. Distortion can cause expensive re-work or scrap in critical parts. In many cases the origin of the stress that leads to distortion is difficult to identify. Systems engineering can lead to the identification of the source of the problem. Also, in many cases the distortion is not attributable to only one process but rather the complex interactions of several processes and phenomena. In this paper the systems approach will be presented and discussed. The importance of stress analysis and phase transformation simulation software will be emphasized using several case studies. In addition, the need for reliable databases and the knowledge of initial conditions will also be discussed.