This paper describes a scheduling method for representing the thermal stress of turbine shafts as ramp rate constraints in the thermal commitment and dispatch of generating units. The paper uses Lagrangian relaxation for optimal generation scheduling. In applying the unit commitment, thermal stress over the elastic limit is used for calculating the ramping cost. The thermal stress contribution to generation cost requires the calculation of a set that includes thermal stress at the end of each time step; this requirement presents a complicated problem which cannot be solved by an ordinary optimization method such as dynamic programming. The paper uses an improved simulated annealing method to determine the optimal trajectory of each generating unit. Furthermore, the paper uses linear programming for economic dispatch in which thermal stress limits are incorporated in place of fixed ramp rate limits. The paper illustrates the economics of frequently ramping up/down of low cost generating units versus the cost of replacement of their turbine rotors with a shorter life span. The experimental results for a practical system demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method in optimizing the power system generation scheduling.