Laser Peening Without Coating Research Articles

Mitigating environmental assisted cracking in heterogeneous welds by laser peening without coating

In this work Laser Peening without Coating (LPwC) was applied underwater on heterogeneous weld joint made of P265GH and X6CrNiTi18-10 steel tubes to prevent Environmental Assisted Cracking on the weld/P265GH steel fusion boundary. Special laser head was designed to precisely deliver 200 mJ green laser beam on the centrally located weld interface on the inner surface of a pipe 76 mm wide and 420 mm long. Residual stress analysis revealed that the LPwC treatment led to generation of compressive residual stresses in the critical fusion boundary area with the magnitude of −168 MPa despite the absence of a protective layer in the peening process. The depth of compressive stresses reached up to 0.8 mm. Plastic deformation induced by LPwC led to grain refinement in the microstructure and improved hardness by 16 %. Samples sectioned from the treated pipe were subjected to accelerated corrosion-mechanical testing which showed more than 2.5x increase in cycles to failure after LPwC. Fractography analysis showed shorter length and decreased number of corrosion cracks after LPwC as well as formation of protective oxide layer on top of the treated surface. 3-point bend testing further showed more than 8x increase in corrosion fatigue life.

Laser peening without coating fabricated superhydrophobic aluminum alloy with favorable mechanical properties

This study prepared 2024-T351 aluminum alloy surfaces with excellent hydrophobic properties by laser peening without coating(LPwC) and post-treatment process (silane solution immersion modification treatment). The surface morphology, microhardness, roughness and residual stress of the specimens before and after LPwC were characterized. Besides, the surface composition and droplet contact angle of the specimens before and after LPwC were measured to investigate the mechanism of enhancing the hydrophobic properties by LPwC. The results showed that after LPwC treatment, the surface of the specimen was uniformly distributed with a large number of micro-nano porous structures and the surface roughness was significantly increased. After the modification treatment with fluorosilane solution, the F element on the surface of the specimen significantly increased, the surface energy decreased, the droplet contact angle rose to above 150°, and the sliding angle dropped to below 10°, which imparted the superhydrophobicity on the surface. After LPwC treatment, the grain size of the specimen near-surface layer was reduced, and high magnitude residual compressive stress was generated inside the matrix, which increased the microhardness of material. The as-prepared superhydrophobic surface exhibits excellent water flow repellency and favorable mechanical properties, which promoted the application of superhydrophobic preparation process in the aerospace field.

Effect of laser peening without coating (LPwC) on retardation of fatigue crack growth in SM490 plates

Laser peening without coating (LPwC) is a well-known technique to improve high-cycle fatigue properties by introducing compressive residual stress (RS) near the surface of metal components. In this study, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and flexural fatigue tests were applied to pre-cracked 12 mm thick SM490A welding structural steel specimens that were subjected to LPwC nearly 20 years ago with a pulse energy of 200 mJ, a spot diameter of 0.8 mm and a pulse density of 36 pulse/mm2. XRD revealed that the compressive RS has remained stable to date, with approximately 400–500 MPa remaining at the surface and a compressive depth of approximately 0.9 mm from the surface, which is comparable to the data measured by XRD immediately after LPwC. In the flexural fatigue tests with a stress ratio of 0.1 and stress rages of 100, 150 and 200 MPa, LPwC extended the fatigue life by more than 1.6 times, depending on the stress range and individual specimens. Crack restarting cycles were significantly increased by a factor of at least 1.8, and the crack growth rate was suppressed by a factor of about 0.7 or less.

Surface integrity of SLM manufactured meso-size gears in laser shock peening without coating

The present work aimed to improve the surface integrity of the selective laser melting manufacturing (SLM) manufactured 10 mm sized meso gears using the unconventional Laser Peening without Coating (LPwC) technique. To accomplish LPwC on meso gears low energy in the range of 200 mJ to 1000 mJ at 10 Hz were applied underwater in the gear root and fillet gap generating significant surface compressive residual stresses (from +73 MPa to −298 MPa). Besides the surface, residual stresses, average surface roughness (Ra), arithmetical mean height (Sa) and parameters of the material ratio curve were also considered as a part of the study. Notable improvement was achieved in Sa, as it improved over 50 % while considerable improvement in Ra and the material ratio curve parameters has also been observed. Scanning electron microscopy confirmed that the void and porosity seen in the unpeened gears were filled. The electron backscatter diffraction analysis confirms the grain refinement in LPwC region up to 100 μm depth. It was observed that multifold dislocation occurs within the grain, and dislocation generates sub-grain. The sub-grain formation substantially inhibits further nucleation and crack propagation owing to an increase in grain boundary density. Such improvement justifies the set objectives, and the outcome of this research will pave a foundation to improve the overall performance of the micro/meso parts using the LPwC process.

Dependence of surface residual stress on the coefficient of thermal expansion for materials subjected to laser peening without coating

We applied single laser pulse irradiation and laser peening without coating (LPwC) to materials that had different coefficients of thermal expansion (CTEs) to confirm the thermal effects on the surface residual stress (SRS) of the materials. First, 1000 MPa-grade high-strength steel (HT1000) and silicon nitride ceramics (Si3N4) were irradiated underwater with one pulse of a frequency-doubled Q-switched Nd:YAG laser. Si3N4 was also subjected to multiple-pulse laser irradiation of 2, 4, and 10 pulses on the same spot. The SRS within the laser-irradiated spots was measured by X-ray diffraction (XRD); the results showed that the SRS on HT1000 ranged from 600 to 700 MPa in tension, whereas the SRS on Si3N4 with a lower CTE was approximately 300 MPa in compression. Next, Fe-Ni low-expansion alloys with different CTEs were fabricated and subjected to LPwC followed by XRD; their characteristics were compared with SUS304, Alloy600, and Si3N4. The results showed that the SRS was closely correlated with the CTE of the materials. The SRS of Fe-Ni low-expansion alloys tended to be compressive, even under LPwC conditions where the SRS would not be sufficiently compressive for materials that had a high CTE, such as SUS304 and Alloy600, suggesting that CTE is an important index that is closely related to SRS status after LPwC. The SRS of Si3N4 with a low CTE was always approximately 300 MPa in compression, regardless of the pulse density, including single- and multiple-pulse laser irradiation. These results indicated that the SRS of Si3N4 became saturated in a compressive state after single pulse irradiation.

Effect of multiple laser peening on microstructural, fatigue and fretting-wear behaviour of austenitic stainless steel

The present work investigates the influence of laser peening without coating (LPwC) on the fatigue and fretting wear behaviour of AISI 304 alloy subjected to one and five peening passes peened at 9 GW cm−2. Laser peened samples were characterised for microstructure, residual stress, phase evolution and hardness. After LPwC, the samples induced maximum compressive residual stress of −380 and −581 MPa for one and five peening passes at 50 μm from the surface. Microhardness was increased to 31 % and 71 % for one and five pass samples at 50 μm depth. The microstructure of laser peening samples was characterised using a transmission electron microscope (TEM) and electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD). Dislocation density was increased after peening with twin-twin interaction observed in both the peening cases and martensite induced at the junction of the twin-twin in five-time peened samples. Low angle grain fraction increased from 29 % (unpeened) to 41 % (one pass) and 63 % (five passes), and grain refinement was observed, where the average grain size reduced from 22.28 μm (unpeened) to 18.36 μm (one pass) and 9.51 μm (five passes) for LPwC samples. Fretting wear behaviour at various loading (5, 10 and 20 N) displayed significant improvement in wear resistance of LPwC samples, as evident from lower wear volume loss. Fatigue testing performed at R = 0.1 exhibited an improvement in fatigue life of 1.4 and 2.4 times for one and five pass samples compared to unpeened samples at a stress amplitude of 450 MPa. Fatigue fractography revealed a decrease in striation spacing for LPwC samples (979 nm/cycle and 565 nm/cycle for one- and five-time peening) with a delay in crack-propagation rate.

Improvement in Bending Strength of Silicon Nitride through Laser Peening.

This study aimed to improve the bending strength and reliability of ceramics using laser peening (LP). In the experiment, LP without coating (LPwC) and with coating (LPC) were applied to silicon nitride (Si3N4) under various conditions. The surface roughness, residual stress, and bending strength were then measured for the non-LP, LPwC, and LPC specimens. The results show that the LPwC specimen had a greater surface roughness but introduced larger and deeper compressive residual stress when compared with the non-LP and LPC specimens. In addition, the bending strength of the LPwC specimen was higher and scatter in bending strength was less compared with the non-LP and LPC specimens. This may be attributed to the transition of the fracture initiation point from the surface to the interior of the LPwC specimen because of the compressive residual stress introduced near the surface. Thus, it was demonstrated that the application of LP is effective in improving the strength and reliability of ceramics.

Effects of Laser Peening with a Pulse Energy of 1.7 mJ on the Residual Stress and Fatigue Properties of A7075 Aluminum Alloy

Laser peening without coating (LPwC) using a palmtop-sized microchip laser has improved the residual stresses (RSs) and fatigue properties of A7075 aluminum alloy. Laser pulses with a wavelength of 1.06 μm and duration of 1.3 ns from a Q-switched Nd:YAG microchip laser were focused onto A7075 aluminum alloy samples covered with water. X-ray diffraction revealed compressive RSs on the surface after irradiation using laser pulses with an energy of 1.7 mJ, spot diameter of 0.3 mm, and density of 100–1600 pulse/mm2. The effects were evident to depths of a few hundred micrometers and the maximum compressive RS was close to the yield strength. Rotation-bending fatigue experiments revealed that LPwC with a pulse energy of 1.7 mJ significantly prolonged the fatigue life and increased the fatigue strength by about 100 MPa with 107 fatigue cycles. The microchip laser used in this study is small enough to fit in the hand or be mounted on a robot arm. The results may lead to the development of tools that extend the service life of various metal parts and structures, especially outdoors where conventional lasers are difficult to apply.

Reducing scatter in bent angle by a laser shock peening pretreatment

Laser shock peening is a surface treatment technology, which modifies the residual stress state of metal parts. When forming thin sheet metal parts with thicknesses ≤1 mm, locally varying residual stress states are, according to the literature, the main reason for the scatter in the bent angle. Forming processes, such as bending, are often used to manufacture thin sheet metal. Thin sheets are formed in quantities of several hundreds of millions per year. Even scrap rates that are in the ppm range, caused by the scatter in the bent angle, lead to considerable manufacturing costs. To ensure a robust forming process, it is hypothesized that the laser shock peening process can reproducibly change the residual stress state in thin sheet metal parts in such a way that scatter in the bent angle can substantially be reduced. Annealed and 1 mm thick sheet metal made of X5CrNi18-10 were processed with a nanosecond pulsed fiber laser. The influence of laser peening without coating (LPwC) on the bent angle was investigated using bottom bending with a nominal bending angle of 90°. It was revealed that the standard deviation of the bent angle, i.e., the scatter, is reduced by a factor of 2 from ±0.14° down to ±0.07° compared to the initial sheet state. Hence, the possibility to use LPwC as a pretreatment to decrease the scatter in the bent angle for thin sheets is demonstrated.

Effect of Laser Peening on the Mechanical Properties of Aluminum Alloys Probed by Synchrotron Radiation and X-Ray Free Electron Laser

Synchrotron radiation (SR) and X-ray free electron laser (XFEL) are indispensable tools not only for the exploration of science but also for the evolution of industry. We used SR and XFEL to elucidate the mechanism and the effects of laser peening without coating (LPwC) which enhances the durability of metallic materials. X-ray diffraction (XRD) employing SR revealed that the residual stress (RS) in the top surface became compressive as the laser pulse irradiation density increased with appropriate overlapping of adjacent laser pulses. SR-based computed tomography (CT) was used to nondestructively reconstruct three-dimensional (3D) images of fatigue cracks in aluminum alloy, revealing that LPwC retarded crack propagation on the surface and inside of the sample. SR-based computed laminography (CL) was applied to friction stir welded (FSWed) aluminum alloy plates to visualize fatigue cracks propagating along the welds. The fatigue crack had complicated shape; however, it became a semi-ellipsoid once projected onto a plane perpendicular to the fatigue loading direction. Ultra-fast XRD using an XFEL was conducted to investigate the dynamic response of aluminum alloy to an impulsive pressure wave simulating the LPwC condition. The diffraction pattern changed from spotty to smooth, implying grain refinement or subgrain formation. Shifts in diffraction angles were also observed, coinciding with the pressure history of laser irradiation. The durations of the dynamic phenomena were less than 1 µs; it may be possible to use high-repetition lasers at frequencies greater than kHz to reduce LPwC processing times.

A Mechanism for Inducing Compressive Residual Stresses on a Surface by Laser Peening without Coating

Laser peening without coating (LPwC) involves irradiating materials covered with water with intense laser pulses to induce compressive residual stress (RS) on a surface. This results in favorable effects, such as fatigue enhancement; however, the mechanism underlying formation of the compressive RS is not fully understood. In general, tensile RS is imparted on the surface of the material due to shrinkage after heating by laser irradiation. In this study, we assessed the thermo-mechanical effect of single laser pulse irradiation and introduce a phenomenological model to predict the outcome of LPwC. To validate this model, RS distribution across the laser-irradiated spot was analyzed using X-ray diffraction with synchrotron radiation. In addition, the RS was evaluated across a line and over an area, following irradiation by multiple laser pulses with partial overlapping. Large tensile RSs were found in the spot irradiated by the single pulse; however, compressive RSs appeared around the spot. In addition, the surface RS state shifted to the compressive side due to an increase in overlap between neighboring laser pulses on the line and over the area of irradiation. The compressive RSs around a subsequent laser spot effectively compensated the tensile component on the previous spot by controlling the overlap, which may result in compressive RSs on the surface after LPwC.

Investigations into the Improvement of the Mechanical Properties of Ti-5Al-4Mo-4Cr-2Sn-2Zr Titanium Alloy by Using Low Energy Laser Peening without Coating.

Mechanical properties, such as residual stress, micro-hardness and fatigue performance, of the Ti-5Al-4Mo-4Cr-2Sn-2Zr titanium alloy were improved via the laser peening without coating (LPwC) with a water-penetrable wavelength of 532 nm and pulse duration of 10 ns. In this paper, three kinds of laser energy, namely 85, 110 and 160 mJ were used to process the samples. The titanium alloy samples were also peened with different impact times (1, 3 or 5 impacts) at the energy of 85 mJ. The micro-hardness and residual stress distribution results provided that LPwC can introduce compressive residual stress (CRS) and also induce hardening of the target materials. Further, micro-hardness and CRS showed the increasing trends when the laser impact times increased. However, the CRS and micro-hardness decreased while the laser energy increased from 110 to 160 mJ, which was attributed to the dynamic equilibrium between the thermal and mechanical effects of LPwC. High cycle fatigue strength of the titanium alloy was significantly improved from 360 to 490.3 MPa after three impacts LPwC. The strengthening mechanism of fatigue strength subjected to LPwC was a combined effect between the laser-induced CRS and the high-density dislocations.

Quarter Century Development of Laser Peening without Coating

This article summarizes the development of laser peening without coating (LPwC) during the recent quarter century. In the mid-1990s, the study of LPwC was initiated in Japan. The objective at that time was to mitigate stress corrosion cracking (SCC) of structural components in operating nuclear power reactors (NPRs) by inducing compressive residual stresses (RSs) on the surface of susceptible components. Since the components in NPRs are radioactive and cooled underwater, full-remote operation must be attained by using lasers of water-penetrable wavelength without any surface preparation. Compressive RS was obtained on the top-surface by reducing pulse energy less than 300 mJ and pulse duration less than 10 ns, and increasing pulse density (number of pulses irradiated on unit area). Since 1999, LPwC has been applied in NPRs as preventive maintenance against SCC using frequency-doubled Q-switched Nd:YAG lasers (λ = 532 nm). To extend the applicability, fiber-delivery of intense laser pulses was developed in parallel and has been used in NPRs since 2002. Early first decade of the 2000s, the effect extending fatigue life was demonstrated even if LPwC increased surface roughness of the components. Several years ago, it was confirmed that 10 to 20 mJ pulse energy is enough to enhance fatigue properties of weld joints of a structural steel. Considering such advances, the development of 20 mJ-class palmtop-sized handheld lasers was initiated in 2014 in a five-year national program, ImPACT under the cabinet office of the Japanese government. Such efforts would pave further applications of LPwC, for example maintenance of infrastructure in the field, beyond the horizons of the present laser systems.

Fatigue Life Enhancement of Titanium Alloy by the Development of Nano/Micron Surface Layer Using Laser Peening.

Ti-15V-3Cr-3Al-3Sn (Ti-15-3) is a metastable beta alloy which is considered to be a potential alternative for Ti-6Al-4V alpha+beta alloy for aerospace applications, especially for sheet products. This paper describes the work carried out to enhance the fatigue life of Ti-15-3 in an economical way by means of laser peening without coating (LPwC) using Nd:YAG laser operating at a power density of 5 GW cm-2. In order to have a sufficient bulk hardness and high compressive stresses on the surface, as-received beta solution treated (ST) Ti-15-3 was subjected to aging (520 °C/10 h/Air-cooled) and then to LPwC. Laser peening induced a notable increase in Ra (arithmetic mean roughness), which was measured using MAHR GD-120 profilometer. The Electron Back Scatter Diffraction (EBSD) analysis of the aged sample (STA) revealed a significant increase in the alpha precipitation (20 vol%), and this led to a substantial increase in the hardness (~40%) and UTS (~50%). In addition to this, peening of aged (STA+LPwC) sample resulted in a considerable increase (~12%) in near-surface microhardness and compressive residual stress (maximum stress of -195 MPa at a depth of 150 μm). This increase in compressive stress and microhardness led to an enhancement in the fatigue life of the STA+LPwC sample by 210% when compared to STA sample. In spite of high surface roughness induced by the LPwC, fractography studies revealed that crack initiation was independent of surface roughness.

The Effect of Laser Peening without Coating on the Fatigue of a 6082-T6 Aluminum Alloy with a Curved Notch

Laser shock peening has established itself as an effective surface treatment to enhance the fatigue properties of metallic materials. Although a number of works have dealt with the formation of residual stresses, and their consequent effects on the fatigue behavior, the influence of material geometry on the peening process has not been widely addressed. In this paper, Laser Peening without Coating (LPwC) is applied at the surface of a notch in specimens made of a 6082-T6 aluminum alloy. The treated specimens are tested by three-point bending fatigue tests, and their fatigue life is compared to that of untreated samples with an identical geometry. The fatigue life of the treated specimens is found to be 1.7 to 3.3 times longer. Brinell hardness measurements evidence an increase in the surface hardness of about 50%, following the treatment. The material response to peening is modelled by a finite element model, and the compressive residual stresses are computed accordingly. Stresses as high as −210 MPa are present at the notch. The ratio between the notch curvature and the laser spot radius is proposed as a parameter to evaluate the influence of the notch.

Enhanced high cycle fatigue resistance of Ti-17 titanium alloy after multiple laser peening without coating

High cycle fatigue failure of titanium alloy components on the aircraft is a serious problem that affects the flight safety. The low energy laser peening without coating (LPwC) has been demonstrated for the improved fatigue resistance of metallic materials via the introduction of compressive residual stress and microstructure modifications. Therefore, in the present study, LPwC with different impacts were conducted on the Ti-17 titanium alloy using the Mianna-Q laser with the wavelength of 532 nm and energy of 85 mJ. The surface and depth-wise residual stress and micro-hardness distributions were presented on the samples with and without LPwC treatment. High amplitude compressive residual stress was introduced, and the hardness was significantly improved. The microstructures of the Ti-17 samples after LPwC was characterized using the X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). Furthermore, high cycle fatigue performance of the as-cast, LPwCed sample with 1 impact and LPwCed sample with 3 impacts was evaluated via the tension-compression fatigue test. The fatigue strength of the LPwCed specimen was increased from 390 to 475.4 MPa (1 impact) and 490.3 MPa (3 impacts). Then, the fracture morphology of all the specimens were characterized by the SEM. Finally, the strengthening mechanism was discussed based on the microstructural evolution and residual stress distribution. It was concluded that the enhancement of high cycle fatigue strength was attributed to the combined effects of LPwC-induced compressive residual stress and high-density dislocations.

Microhardness and wear behaviour of polycrystalline diamond after warm laser shock processing with and without coating

Cutting tools made of ultra-hard materials such as polycrystalline diamonds offer superior wear resistance in precision machining of Aluminium alloys. However, the wear properties of these materials are dependent on their microstructural characteristics such as grain size and binder percentage. In this context, the present paper evaluates the effects of two low-energy fibre laser processes (nanosecond pulse duration) on microstructural changes of polycrystalline diamond composites and consequently investigates wear and friction characteristics and micro hardness properties. Pockets were first achieved using a single mode SPI pulsed fibre laser (1064 nm wavelength) inducing both laser shock processing (LSP) and laser peening without coating (LPwC) and characterised using a combination of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), white light interferometry, energy dispersive X-Ray (EDX) and micro hardness analyses. The as-received and processed materials were tested on a pin-on-disc for the evaluation of their wear performance. An analytical model based on the asperities of pin and disc after wear test is proposed to predict the trend of wear performance of different laser-processed materials. LSP with vinyl and quartz at a scanning speed of 500 mm s−1 achieved a micro-hardness of 110 GPa at a depth of 632 nm. LPwC at 0.8 GW cm−2 produced hybrid microstructures which share characteristics of laser shock processing and selective laser melted structures. For laser feed speed in the region of 1000 mm s−1, micro-indentation tests revealed an improvement of hardness from 70 GPa to 95 GPa at a depth of 670 nm for LPwC. Tribotest revealed enhanced wear performance for all laser-processed pins and reduced coefficient of friction also validated by increased material removal rate when compared to the as-received material. To the best of authors' knowledge, it is reported for the first time that an improvement of wear performance can be achieved on polycrystalline diamond through LSP and LPwC.

Measurement of residual stresses in titanium alloys using synchrotron radiation

The residual stress distribution due to laser peening without coating (LPwC) was measured by using the synchrotron radiation X-rays from BL-11 at INDUS-2, RRCAT, Indore, India. This was accomplished by using the effective and quick method of angle-dispersive X-ray diffraction (AD-XRD). LPwC was performed on the titanium TC6 and Ti-6Al-4V alloys with a laser wavelength of 1064 and 532 nm and samples were peened with three different laser power densities of 3, 6 and 9 GW cm−2 and subjected to multiple impacts (1/3/5). Followed by that, the residual stress measurements using synchrotron radiation beam energy (SRBE) of 20 and 30 keV were carried out. The results show that LPwC induces higher and deep residual stress depending upon the titanium alloy. The change of residual stress with laser power densities and impact times are calculated and discussed. Although a compressive residual stress (CRS) was observed in majority of the cases, the more detrimental tensile residual stress (TRS) was observed in few cases only, especially with the TC6 alloy. TC6 showed TRS with peening radiations of 532 nm (power density of 3 GW cm−2) and 1064 nm (power density of 9 GW cm−2). Besides, TRS was observed in multiple peened samples (5 times) at both radiations. In each of the instances the residual stress was measured at SRBE of 20 keV. It is suggested that for beneficial CRS, peening may be employed in conditions other than these.

Influence of laser peening without coating on microstructure and fatigue limit of Ti-15V-3Al-3Cr-3Sn

In the present study, Ti-15V-3Al-3Cr-3Sn (Ti-15-3), a beta titanium aerospace alloy in solution treated condition (850 °C/1 h) was subjected to Laser Peening without Coating (LPwC) with a wavelength of 532 nm and power density of 8.96 GW cm−2. Surface roughness was analysed using 3D optical topography. Curiously, in the near peened surface, peening induced precipitation (i.e. 19% of α precipitation) and increased fraction of low angle boundaries (∼123%) was revealed through the Electron Back Scattered Diffraction (EBSD) analysis. Through depth nanohardness measurement was carried out along the cross-section of the peened sample right from the near peened surface. Peak hardness of 4.6 GPa is observed at a depth of 100 µm from the peened surface while the base/bulk hardness of the material is 4 GPa. In addition, X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) based analysis confirmed the presence of compressive residual stress in the near surface region of the peened sample. To understand the effect of the peening induced microstructural changes and residual stresses in fatigue behaviour, staircase method of fatigue analysis was adopted and observed that the more number of run out samples belonged to laser peened condition when compared to the unpeened condition. Despite this favourable indication, fatigue limit remains more or less unaltered even after peening. Fractography studies revealed the least influence of the surface roughness induced by laser peening over the crack initiation. Irrespective of the condition (i.e. unpeened and laser peened), crack initiation was predominantly influenced by the stress concentration co-existing at the sharp corners.

Residual Stress Distribution and Microstructure of a Multiple Laser-Peened Near-Alpha Titanium Alloy

Laser peening without coating (LPwC) was performed on a Ti-2.5 Cu alloy with multiple passes (1, 3 and 5), using a Nd:YAG laser (1064 nm) at a constant overlap rate of 70% and power density of 6.7 GW cm−2. Hardness and residual stress profiles indicated thermal softening near the surface (< 100 μm) and bulk softening due to adiabatic heating. Maximum hardness (235 HV at 500 μm) and maximum residual stress (− 890 MPa at 100 μm) were observed for LPwC with 1 pass. Surface roughness and surface 3-D topography imaging showed that the surface roughness increased with the increase in the number of passes. XRD results indicated no significant β phases. However, peak shifts, broadening and asymmetry were observed and interpreted based on dislocation activity. Microstructures indicated no melting or resolidification or refinement of grains at the surface. Twin density was found to increase with the increase in the number of passes.