Laser shock peening (LSP) is an effective surface reinforcement technique for metallic materials. However, when LSP is applied to a thin specimen, an undesirable result, spall fracture, may occur. In this work, the spall fracture generated in multiple-shock LSP processes is investigated via the phase field approach to fracture, and is validated with the experimental result. In particular, the relations between the formation of spall fracture and the shock number, the shock wave pressure, the specimen thickness and the fracture toughness of specimen are studied. The results indicate that the formation of spall fracture in multiple-shock processes is an accumulative process, and is mainly influenced by the shock wave pressure and the specimen thickness, and multiple shocks will complicate the interaction between the tensile wave tail and the compressive wave front of the shock wave, leading to an enlargement of the spall fracture region.