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It is well known that manufacturing operations produce material conditions that can either enhance or debit the fatigue life of production components. One of the most critical aspects of material condition that can have a significant impact on fatigue life is residual stress (RS) [1, 2]. When springs are manufactured, the spring stock may undergo several operations during production. Additional operations may also be introduced for the purpose of imparting the spring with beneficial surface RS to extend its fatigue life and increase its ability to execute the task it was designed to perform. The resultant RS present in production springs as a result of the various fabrication and processing operations applied can be predicted and modeled, however, RS measurements must be performed in order to quantify the RS state with precision.

Automobile manufacturers have experienced increasing consumer and regulatory pressure to improve fuel efficiency and crashworthiness while simultaneously decreasing overall vehicle body weight. As such, the use of advanced high strength steels (AHSS) in body panels and other structural elements is becoming more and more prevalent because these advanced materials present an economical and elegant solution to the problem. To ensure the quality and safety of AHSS components, residual stress (RS) specifications (among others) have been introduced with the intent to minimize failures experienced both in the field and during production. Moreover, when welding processes are applied to AHSS components, the localized loss of ductility in combination with tensile RS can result in localized cracking, distortion, and/or failures.