STRESS RELIEF

Efficient Stress Relief: Trust NUTEC Bickley's expertise for reliable results

Stress Relief

Definition

Stress relief is a heat treatment process in which a metal is subjected to a constant temperature that is below the metal's critical temperature, followed by controlled cooling.

Drawing, forming and machining induce stresses in materials. A Stress Relief operation is typically used to remove internal (residual) stresses that have accumulated in the material. These stresses can cause loss of tolerance, cracking and distortion, and contribute to in-service failures. For these reasons, stress relieving is often necessary or even mandatory.

How does Stress Relief work?

The Stress Relief process is performed by heating in an oven or furnace to a temperature below the critical temperature (different materials have different temperatures) and holding it at that temperature long enough to achieve the desired reduction in residual stresses.

Temperature, time and time held at the temperature are key process variables, if necessary stress relieving can be performed in a furnace with protective gas, to protect surfaces from oxidation. In extreme conditions vacuum furnaces can be used.

Advantages

It relieves internal stresses without causing any color change

It returns the material to a strength level approximately equivalent to where it was prior to forming

It increases mechanical strength of the material

Welded structures can be made tension free by stress relieving

Stress Relief Furnaces

Using advanced technologies, NUTEC Bickley designs, constructs and supplies stress relief furnaces for the steel plate working and forming sector, featuring our proprietary pulse firing combustion system to deliver excellent temperature uniformity.

Stress Relieving After Welding

Our Stress Relief furnaces are built with heavy duty and stable steel frame and refractory construction.
These furnaces have fiber lined sections using our Macro Module system to reduce the number of joints.
We make available low mass car bottoms designed to lower fuel consumption, by reducing car heat storage.
These furnaces feature our proprietary pulse firing combustion system, delivering excellent temperature uniformity.
Cooling nozzle systems on our stress relief furnaces accelerate and control the cooling part of the cycles.
Our equipment is AAR (Association of American Railroads) compliant.

Hot Forming

Heavy duty and stable steel frame and refractory construction.
Infrared sensor control for continuous heaters.
Fuel savings in the ranges of xxx % in continuous heater.
Decrease of steel Decarburization in continuous heaters.
Most advanced heat recovery systems with recuperative burners or central recuperators.
Fiber linned sections using the jointless system®. Completely free of joints.
Pulse firing combustion system to allow an excellent temperature uniformity.

Related Industries

At NUTEC Bickley we are committed to engineering and design excellence and to delivering the very best equipment to our customers. We assure this by analyzing all of our customers’ needs and complying with rigorous quality standards.

Steel & Aluminum

NUTEC Bickley is an international leader in the design, manufacture and installation of innovative energy efficient systems for the Steel & Aluminum industry.

Learn more about Steel & Aluminum

Forging

NUTEC Bickley provides heat treating Forging furnaces for the heating and reheating of large steel ingots, blooms and cast parts.

Learn more about Forging