Effects of Laser Shock Processing on Mechanical Properties of Laser Welded ANSI 304 Stainless Steel Joint

With the rapid development of engineering component with integration,high-speed and multi-parameter,traditional techniques haven＇t met practical needs in extreme service environment.Laser welding,a new welding technology,has been widely used.However,it would generate the drop of mechanical properties for laser welded joint due to its thermal effect.Laser shock processing（LSP） is one of the most effective methods to improve the mechanical properties of laser welded ANSI 304 stainless steel joint.In this paper,the effects of LSP on the mechanical properties of laser welded ANSI 304 stainless steel joint have been investigated.The welded joint on the front of the tensile samples is treated by LSP impacts,and the overlapping rate of the laser spot is 50%.The tensile test of the laser welded joint with and without LSP impacts is carried out,and the fracture morphology of the tensile samples is analyzed by scanning electron microscope（SEM）.Compared with the yield strength of 11.70 kN,the tensile strength of 37.66 kN,the yield-to-tensile strength ratio of 0.310 7,the elongation of 25.20%,the area reduction of 32.68% and the elastic modulus of 13 063.876 MPa,the corresponding values after LSP impacts are 14.25 kN,38.74 kN,0.367 8,26.58%,42.29% and 14 754.394 MPa,respectively.Through LSP impacts,the increasing ratio of the yield strength and tensile strength are 121.79% and 102.87%,respectively;the elongation and area reduction are improved by 5.48% and 29.38%,respectively.By comparing with coarse fracture surface of the welded joint,the delamination splitting with some cracks in the sharp corner of the welded joint and asymmetric dimples,LSP can cause brighter fracture surface,and finer and more uniform dimples.Finally,the schematic illustration of dimple formation with LSP is clearly described.The proposed research ensures that the LSP technology can clearly improve the yield strength,tensile strength,yield-to-tensile strength ratio,elongation,area reduction and elastic modulus of the welded joint.The enhancement mechanism of LSP on laser welded ANSI 304 stainless steel joint is mainly due to the fact that the refined and uniform dimples effectively delay the fracture of laser welded joints.

Numerical simulation of residual stress field induced by laser shock processing with square spot

Laser shock processing（LSP）,also known as laser peening,is a novel surface treatment technique in the past few years.Compressive residual stresses which imparted by LSP are very important for improving fatigue,corrosion and wea rresistance of metals.Finite element analysis（FEA） simulation using ABAQUS software has been applied to predict residualstresses induced by LSP on Ti-6Al-4V titanium alloy with laser pulse duration 30 ns and water confined ablation mode.The residual stress field generated by different shape laser spots was studied,and the square laser spot is shown the most suitability for avoiding stress lack phenomenon and overlapping LSP.Surface residual stresses and plastically affected depth within single square spot both increased with the increase of laser intensity and laser shock times.Furthermore,compared with circle and ellipse spot,the residual stress distribution in overlapping square spots is very uniform only with small overlapping ratio.LSP with square spot can process advantageous residual stress field,and this technique will be used widely.

Laser Shock Processing of an Austenitic Stainless Steel and a Nickel-base Superalloy

An austenitic stainless steel 1Cr18Ni9Ti and a solid solution-strengthened Ni-base superalloy GH30 were shock processed using a Q-switched pulsed Nd-glass laser. Microstructure, hardness and residual stress of the laser shock processed surface were investigated as functions of laser processing parameters. Results show that high density of dislocations and fine deformation twins are produced in the laser shock processed surface layers in both the austenitic stainless steel and the nickel-base superalloy. Extensive strain-induced martensite was also observed in the laser shock processed zone of the austenitic steel. The hardness of the laser shock processed surface was significantly enhanced and compressive stress as high as 400 MPa was produced in the laser shock processed surface.

Low-cycle Fatigue Behavior of Ni-based Superalloy GH586 with Laser Shock Processing

Low-cycle fatigue behavior of Ni-based superalloy GH586 with laser shock processing（LSP） was investigated. The residual stress of the specimens treated with LSP was assessed by X-ray diffraction method. The microstructure and fracture morphology were characterized by using an optical microscope（OM）, a scanning electron microscope（SEM）, and a transmission electron microscope（TEM）. The results indicated that the maximum residual compressive stress was at about 1 mm from the shocking spot center, where the residual compressive stress was slightly lower. High density tangling dislocations, dislocation walls, and dislocation cells in the microstructure of the specimens treated with LSP effectively prevented fatigue cracks propagation. The fatigue life was roughly twice as long as that of the specimens without LSP. The fatigue crack initiation（FCI） in specimens treated with LSP was observed in the lateral section and the subsurface simultaneously. The fatigue striation in the fracture treated with LSP was narrower than that in the untreated specimens. Moreover, dimples with tear ridges were found in the fatigued zones of the LSP treated specimens, which would be caused by severe plastic deformation.

Mechanism of Grain Refinement Induced by Laser Shock Processing in AZ31 Magnesium Alloy

In order to study the mechanism of grain refinement induced by laser shock processing （LSP） in AZ31 magnesium alloy, the specimens were processed with Nd：glass pulse laser shocking and the microstructures of LSP specimens near the surface were examined by optical microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Optical microstructure pictures show that the size of grains formed in the top surface layer is about 4-6 μm, which is obviously different from the original grains （with an average size of 20-30 μm） in the substrate in AZ31 magnesium alloy. Transmission electron microscopic observations show that the grain refinement process of AZ31 alloy by laser shock processing includes three stages. At the early stage of LSP, the lower strain and strain rate activates the three dislocation slip systems which include basal plane system, prismatic plane system and pyramidal plane system, with the deformation governed mainly by dislocation. At the intermediary stage, dislocation slip is hindered at grain boundaries and becomes more difficult to continue during LSP. Then, parallel twins appear, which divide the original coarse grains into finer twin platelets. Finally, high-density dislocation walls are formed and subdivide twins into sub-grains. Dynamic recrystallization occurs in the process of further deformation and forms recrystallized grains when strain energy reaches the value needed by recrystallization, which leads to refinement of the grains in the top surface layer.

Effects of laser shock processing,solid solution and aging,and cryogenic treatments on microstructure and thermal fatigue performance of ZCuAl_(10)Fe_(3)Mn_(2)alloy

The materials used in variable temperature conditions are required to have excellent thermal fatigue performance.The effects of laser shock processing(LSP),solid solution and aging treatment(T6),and cryogenic treatment(CT)on both microstructure and thermal fatigue performance of ZCuAl_(10)Fe_(3)Mn_(2) alloys were studied.Microstructure and crack morphology were then examined by scanning electron microscopy(SEM)and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy(EDS).The result showed that,after being subjected to the combination treatment of T6+CT+LSP,the optimal mechanical properties and thermal fatigue performance were obtained for the ZCuAl_(10)Fe_(3)Mn_(2) alloy with the tensile strength,hardness,and elongation of 720 MPa,300.16 HB,and 16%,respectively,and the thermal fatigue life could reach 7,100 cycles when the crack length was 0.1 mm.Moreover,the ZCuAl_(10)Fe_(3)Mn_(2) after combination treatment shows high resistance to oxidation,good adhesion between the matrix and grain boundaries,and dramatically reduced growth rate of crack.During thermal fatigue testing,under the combined action of thermal and alternating stresses,the microstructure around the sample notch oxidized and became loose and porous,which then converted to micro-cracks.Fatigue crack expanded along the grain boundary in the early stage.In the later stage,under the cyclic stress accumulation,the oxidized microstructure separated from the matrix,and the fatigue crack expanded in both intergranular and transgranular ways.The main crack was thick,and the path was meandering.

Experimental study on laser shock processing of brass

Laser shock processing （LSP） is a new surface treatment technique for improving hardness, wear resistance, and fatigue. In this paper, basic theories were introduced and the influence of laser pulse intensity on the laser shock processing of brass specimens was investigated by experiments. Microhardness, roughness, microstructure, wear resistance, friction coefficient evolution, and residual stress were examined with different laser pulse intensities of LSP. The results show that the microhardness increases after LSP treatment, and the higher the pulse intensity, the higher the microhardness. Though the microstructure shows no remarkable change, the roughness and wear resistance increase with the increase in pulse density. Laser shock processing has great potential as a means to improve the mechanical properties of components.

A comprehensive study on the oxidation behavior and failure mechanism of(γ’+β)two-phase Ni-34Al-0.1Dy coating treated by laser shock processing

Laser shock processing(LSP),as a novel surface modification technology,exhibits tremendous potential to improve the oxidation resistance of alloys.In this paper,(γ’+β)two-phase Ni-34Al-0.1Dy coatings were prepared by electron beam physical vapor deposition(EB-PVD)and then treated by LSP with different pulse energy(4 and 5 J).Their oxidation behavior(including isothermal oxidation and cyclic oxidation)at 1150°C was compared.In the isothermal oxidation case,the LSP-treated samples exhibited good ox-idation resistance due to high dislocation density and refined grains caused by the LSP.For the cyclic oxidation,however,the LSP-treated samples were subjected to undesirable thermally grown oxide(TGO)spallation.In the early oxidation stage(within 30 min),the residual compressive stress introduced by the LSP rapidly released,resulting in a severe plastic deformation at the coating/TGO interface.As a result,the mismatch between coating and TGO gave rise to the TGO spallation.With the increase in the oxida-tion time,work hardening,which continuously limited the synchronous deformation of the TGO/coating interface,became the dominant mechanism controlling the TGO spallation of 5 J-treated coatings.The continuous TGO spallation affected the Al supply and thus deteriorated the cyclic oxidation behavior.

Microstructure Evolution and Microhardness of Ultrafine-grained High Carbon Steel during Multiple Laser Shock Processing

Surface microstructure and microhardness of （ferrite＋ cementite） microduplex structure of the ultrafine- grained high carbon steel after laser shock processing （LSP） with different impact times were investigated by means of scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, transmission electron microscopy （TEM）, X-ray diffraction （XRD） and microhardness measurements. Equiaxed ferrite grains were refined from 400 to 150 nm, and the cementite lamellae were fully spheroidized, with a decrease of the particle diameter from 150 to 100 nm as the impact times increased. The cementite dissolution was enhanced significantly. Correspondingly, the lattice parameter of α-Fe and microhard- hess increased with the impact times.

Effects of laser shock processing onθ-Al_(2)O_(3)toα-Al_(2)O_(3)transformation and oxide scale morphology evolution in(γ'+β)two-phase Ni-34Al-0.1Dy alloys

(γ’+β)two-phase Ni-Al is a promising high-temperature protective coating material used on Ni-base superalloys since it has good interfacial compatibility with superalloys due to the low Al content compared to single-phaseβ-NiA l.In this paper,we aim to improve the oxidation resistance,whereby Ni-34Al-0.1Dy,a(γ’+β)two-phase Ni-Al alloy,was treated by laser shock processing(LSP)and the oxidation behavior at 1150℃ was investigated.The results showed that after oxidation,Al_(2)O_(3)scale formed on the originalβphase of the untreated alloy with a small grain size(200-800 nm),while for the LSP-treated samples,the scale grown on the originalβphase was dominantly composed of larger Al_(2)O_(3)grains with a size of 2-3μm.The distinction was attributed to the promotion ofθ-Al_(2)O_(3)toα-Al_(2)O_(3)transformation induced by the LSP,because the dislocation density,as well as surface roughness,were increased during LSP treatment which can provide heterogeneous nucleation sites forα-Al_(2)O_(3).In addition,the larger-size Al_(2)O_(3)particles,derived from the direct conversion of needle-likeθ-Al_(2)O_(3)in the initial oxidation stage,could rapidly overspread the wholeβphase surface thus reducing the scale growth rate.

Effects of processing parameters on fatigue properties of LY2 Al alloy subjected to laser shock processing

We address the effects of processing parameters on residual stresses and fatigue properties of LY2 Al alloy by laser shock processing （LSP）. Results show that compressive residual stresses are generated near the surface of samples due to LSP. The maximum compressive residual stress at the surface by two LSP impacts on one side is higher than that by one LSP impact. The maximum value of tensile residual stress is found at the mid-plane of samples subjected to two-sided LSP. Compared with fatigue lives of samples treated by single-sided LSP, lives of those treated by two-sided LSP are lower. However, these are higher than untreated ones.

Effects of Thermally Assisted Warm Laser Shock Processing on the Microstructure and Fatigue Property of IN718 Superalloy

The effects of laser shock processing(LSP)and warm laser shock processing(WLSP)on the microstructure of surface hardening layer and high-cycle fatigue performance at room temperature and high temperature(600°C)of IN718 alloy were investigated.It has been revealed that the grain refined hardening layer with greater residual compression stresses,higher fraction of coincidence site lattice(CSL)boundaries and dislocation densities was formed in WLSP-treated alloy than in LSP-treated alloys.Moreover,microtwins includedγ″phase/high density dislocation complex was found in the surface of WLSP-treated alloy.These characters caused the significant enhancement of the medium value fatigue strength of WLSP-treated alloy at room temperature and elevated temperature.Apparently,the microtwins includedγ″phase/high density dislocation complex formed in the surface hardening layer of LSP-treated alloy has more complicated steric structure and more stable at elevated temperature thanγ″phase/low density dislocation complex formed in LSP-treated alloy,leading to the slow recovery process.Therefore,the surface hardening layer in the WLSP-treated alloy remained more ideal strengthening effect under high-cycle fatigue at elevated temperature than that in LSP-treated alloy.This resulted in the much longer fatigue crack initiation incubation and longer high-cycle life of WLSP-treated IN718 alloy under cycling load at 600℃.This discovery provides a new cognition of fatigue resistance by WLSP treatment of precipitation strengthening superalloy.

Impacts of multiple laser shock processing on microstructure and mechanical property of high-carbon steel

Multiple laser shock processing （LSP） impacts on microstructures and mechanical properties were investigated through morphological determinations and hardness testing. Microscopic results show that without equal channel angular pressing （ECAP）, the LSP-treated lamellar pearlite was transferred to irregular ferrite matrix and incompletely broken cementite particles. With ECAP, LSP leads to refinements of the equiaxed ferrite grain in ultrafine-grained microduplex structure from 400 to 150 nm, and the completely spheroidized cementite particles from 150 to 100 nm. Consequentially, enhancements of mechanical properties were found in strength, microhardness and elongations of samples consisting of lamellar pearlite and ultrafine-grained microduplex structure. After LSP, a mixture of quasi-cleavage and ductile fracture was formed, different from the typical quasi-cleavage fracture from the original lamellar pearlite and the ductile fracture of the microduplex structure.

FEM SIMULATION OF RESIDUAL STRESSES INDUCED BY LASER SHOCK WITH OVERLAPPING LASER SPOTS

The finite element method is presented to attain the numerical simulation of the residual stresses field in the material treated by laser shock processing. The distribution of residual stresses generated by a single laser shock with square and round laser spot is predicted and validated by experimental results. With the Finite Element Method （FEM） model, effects of different overlapping rates and impact sequences on the distribution of residual stresses are simulated. The results indicate that： （1） Overlapping laser shock can increase the compressive residual stresses. However, it is not effective on the growth of plastically affected depth; （2） Overlapping rate should be optimized and selected carefully for the large area treatment. Appropriate overlapping rate is beneficial to obtain a homogeneous residual stress field; （3） The impact sequence has a great effect on the residual stress field. It can greatly attenuate the phenomenon of the “residual stress hole” to obtain a homogeneous residual stress field.

Mechanical Properties and Microstructure of Bionic Non-Smooth Stainless Steel Surface by Laser Multiple Processing

Laser multiple processing, i.e. laser surface texturing and then Laser Shock Processing (LSP), is a new surface processing technology for the preparation of bionic non-smooth surfaces. Based on engineering bionics, samples of bionic non-smooth surfaces of stainless steel 0Crl 8Ni9 were manufactured in the form of reseau structure by laser multiple processing. The mechanical properties (including microhardness, residual stress, surface roughness) and microstructure of the samples treated by laser multiple processing were compared with those of the samples without LSP The results show that the mechanical properties of these samples by laser multiple processing were clearly improved in comparison with those of the samples without LSP The mechanisms underlying the improved surface microhardness and surface residual stress were analyzed, and the relations between hardness, comnressive residual stress and roughness were also presented.

Effects of laser pulse energy on surface microstructure and mechanical properties of high carbon steel

Surface microstructure and mechanical properties of pearlitic Fe–0.8%C(mass fraction) steel after laser shock processing(LSP) with different laser pulse energies were investigated by scanning electron microscopy(SEM),transmission electron microscopy(TEM),X-ray diffraction(XRD) and microhardness measurements.After LSP,the cementite lamellae were bent,kinked and broken into particles.Fragmentation and dissolution of the cementite lamellae were enhanced by increasing the laser pulse energy.Due to the dissolution of carbon atoms in the ferritic matrix,the lattice parameter of α-Fe increased.The grain size of the surface ferrite was refined,and the microstructure changed from lamellae to ultrafine micro-duplex structure(ferrite(α)+cementite(θ)) with higher laser pulse energy,accompanied by the residual stress and microhardness increase.

Tension fracture behaviors of welded joints in X70 steel pipeline

The surface of welded joints in X70 steel pipeline was processed by laser shock wave, its mechanical behaviors of tension fracture were analyzed with tension test,and the fracture morphologies and the distributions of chemical element were observed with scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive spectrum,respectively.The experimental results show that the phenomenon of grain refinement occurs in the surface of welded joints in X70 steel pipeline after the laser shock processing,and compressive residual stress is formed in its surface strengthened layer.There is no yield stage but a continuous yield behavior in the welded joints in X70 steel pipeline after the laser shock processing,and its extensibility has decreased by 20%.The welded joints in X70 steel pipeline in primitive state exhibits brittle fracture with less tearing edges,while the fracture of welded joints in X70 steel pipeline processed by laser shock is ductile fracture with a lot of tearing edges.