Relaxation of residual stress in MMC after combined plastic deformation and heat treatment

Neutron Diffraction shows that plastic pre-deformation and heat treatments have opposite effects on the residual stress in Al–SiCp composites. The thermal micro residual stress is relaxed or even reversed by pre-strains above 0.2%, but restored by heat treatments. The sense of relaxation changes above 400 °C (the mixing temperature).