Predictive assessment of plasma dynamics effects on the shock transformation of metallic alloys by laser shock processing

Abstract

Laser shock processing (LSP) has been presented as an effective technology for improving surface mechanical and corrosion properties of metals, and is being developed as a practical process amenable to production engineering. The main acknowledged advantages of the laser shock processing technique consist on its capability of inducing a relatively deep compression residual stresses field into metallic alloy pieces allowing an improved mechanical behaviour, explicitly, the life improvement of the treated specimens against wear, crack growth and stress corrosion cracking. In the present paper, practical results at laboratory scale on the application of Laser Shock Processing are presented showing the obtained tensile residual stresses relaxation along with corresponding preliminary results about the resulting mechanical properties improvement induced by the treatment.