The Fundamental Role of Laser-Plasma Interaction and Materials Behaviour Models in the Predictive Assessment of Residual Stresses Fields Induced in Metallic Materials by LSP

Abstract

- Laser Shock Processing (LSP) is developed as a technique allowing the effective induction of residual stresses fields in metallic materials allowing a high degree of surface material protection against fatigue crack propagation, abrasive wear, chemical corrosion and other failure conditions.
- This makes the technique specially suitable and competitive with presently use techniques for the treatment of heavy duty components in the aeronautical, nuclear and automotive industries.
- However, the practical application of LSP treatments to real high reliability components is burdened by a lack of physical understanding of material transformation mechanisms and the subsequent process design capability.
- By means of an integrated Modelling-Processing-Testing approach, the authors show the way for a reliable progress in the physical process understanding and gained process design capability assuring the desired components performance improvement sought through the application of LSP treatments.
- A brief summary description of such integrated approach is described together with some examples of its application and a presentation of the most relevant challenges envisaged for real-scale process design and implementation.