Stress Relieving (Thermal) is accompanied by the restoration of several physical properties in the deformed metal that is a heating a metal to a suitable temperature, holding at that temperature long enough to reduce residual stresses, and then cooling slowly enough to minimize the development of new residual stresses. Cold working, hot rolling, grinding, quenching treatments, welding, and thermal cutting all can induce residual stress into metal that can cause loss of tolerance, cracking and distortion, and contribute to in-service failures. (Refer to the Post Weld Heat Treatment (PWHT))
Related Definitions in the Project: The Metallurgy (Corrosion and Cracking)
