The effect of laser shock processing (LSP) on the fatigue life of aluminium alloy is investigated using a Q-switched Nd:glass laser. The fatigue test results show that the fatigue life of aluminium alloy is increased greatly after LSP. The average fatigue life of laser shock hardened specimens is 2.2 times longer than that of unshocked ones. The improvements are attributed to a combination of increased dislocation density, increased surface hardness, and compressive residual stress induced by shock waves during pulsed laser irradiation on aluminium alloy.
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