Stress Relieving is a controlled heat treatment process used to reduce internal or residual stresses that develop during welding, machining, forging, casting, cold working or previous heat treatment operations. Components are heated to a predetermined temperature below the transformation range, held for a specified time and then cooled under controlled conditions. This process minimizes residual stresses while preserving the existing microstructure and mechanical properties.

Stress relieving helps prevent distortion during subsequent machining, improves dimensional stability and reduces the likelihood of cracking or premature failure during service. It is widely used for large fabricated structures, precision machined parts and critical engineering components.