December 2020 - Hill Engineering

Case Study: Aluminum forging cold-work stress relief

by John Watton

As we discuss in a related case study, aluminum alloy heat treatment is a three-step process designed to achieve the desired properties. The process involves: 1) solution heat treatment (SHT) at an elevated temperature below the melting point, 2) quenching in a tank of fluid (e.g., 140-180°F water), and 3) age hardening. While providing good properties, the heat treatment has the negative side effect of creating bulk residual stress and distortion. One approach to mitigate this problem is the application of a post-heat treatment mechanical stress relief process.

HE Hobby Spotlight: Camille

by Robert Pires

Beautifully baked sourdough loaves a la Camille.

The year 2020 has made some interesting changes to the way we live our lives. For a lot of folks, this has been spending more time at home than ever before. If you didn’t have anything but your thoughts to keep you company during the unrelenting hours, you might yourself going mad. Luckily, some of our Hill Engineering team members have found fun hobbies during the quarantine, for those rare moments when their minds are not occupied by residual stress.