Residual stresses resulting from hot-forming processes represent an important aspect of a component’s performance and service life. Considering the whole process chain of hot forming, the integrated heat treatment provided by a defined temperature profile during cooling offers a great potential for the targeted adjustment of the desired residual stress state. Finite element (FE) simulation is a powerful tool for virtual process design aimed at generating a beneficial residual stress profile. The validation of these FE models is typically carried out on the basis of individual surface points, as these are accessible through methods like X-ray diffraction, hole-drilling, or the nanoindentation method. However, especially in bulk forming components, it is important to evaluate the quality of the model based on residual stress data from the volume. For these reasons, in this paper, an FE model which was already validated by near surface X-ray diffraction analyses was used to explain the development of residual stresses in a reference hot forming process for different cooling scenarios. Subsequently, the reference process scenarios were experimentally performed, and the resulting residual stress distributions in the cross-section of the bulk specimens were determined by means of the contour method. These data were used to further validate the numerical simulation of the hot forming process, wherein a good agreement between the contour method and process simulation was observed.
X-ray diffraction study of residual stress distribution on surface of laser welded steel sheets