INVESTIGATIONS ON LASER SHOCK-PROCESSING (LSP) TO IMPROVE FATIGUE LIFE OF SMALL HOLE IN AIRCRAFT STRUCTURES

Laser shock-processing (LSP) is of particular advantage for improving fa-tigue behavior of small holes and blind holes. Because there are not good accessibility andpassage, these holes cannot be treated by shot peening or cold extrusion. The fatigue livesof aircraft aluminum alloy 2024-T62 are increased greatly by means of optimization oflaser shocking parameters. With 95 % confidence, the mean fatigue life of LSP specimensis 4. 35~7, 75 times larger than that of the un-shocked ones.

Effect of laser shock processing on fatigue life of fastener hole

The fatigue properties of laser shock processing （LSP） on both side surfaces of fastener hole with diameter of 3 mm in the LY12CZ aluminum alloy specimens were investigated. The superficial residual stress was measured by X-ray diffraction method. Fatigue experiments of specimens with and without LSP were performed, and the microstructural features of fracture of specimens were characterized by scanning electron microscopy （SEM）. The results indicate that the compressive residual stress can be induced into the surface of specimen, and the fatigue life of the specimen with LSP is 3.5 times as long as that of specimen without LSP. The location of fatigue crack initiation is transferred from the top surface to the sub-surface after LSP, and the fatigue striation spacing of the treated specimen during the expanding fatigue crack is narrower than that of the untreated specimen. Furthermore, the diameters of the dimples on the fatigue crack rupture zone of the specimen with LSP are relatively bigger, which is related to the serious plastic deformation in the material with LSP.

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.

Prediction about residual stress and microhardness of material subjected to multiple overlap laser shock processing using artificial neural network

In this work,the nickel-based powder metallurgy superalloy FGH95 was selected as experimental material,and the experimental parameters in multiple overlap laser shock processing(LSP)treatment were selected based on orthogonal experimental design.The experimental data of residual stress and microhardness were measured in the same depth.The residual stress and microhardness laws were investigated and analyzed.Artificial neural network(ANN)with four layers(4-N-(N-1)-2)was applied to predict the residual stress and microhardness of FGH95 subjected to multiple overlap LSP.The experimental data were divided as training-testing sets in pairs.Laser energy,overlap rate,shocked times and depth were set as inputs,while residual stress and microhardness were set as outputs.The prediction performances with different network configuration of developed ANN models were compared and analyzed.The developed ANN model with network configuration of 4-7-6-2 showed the best predict performance.The predicted values showed a good agreement with the experimental values.In addition,the correlation coefficients among all the parameters and the effect of LSP parameters on materials response were studied.It can be concluded that ANN is a useful method to predict residual stress and microhardness of material subjected to LSP when with limited experimental data.

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.

Effect of laser shock processing on erosive resistance of 6061-T6 aluminum

Application of laser shock processing （LSP） on 6061-T6 aluminum was made in order to evaluate its response to the erosive wear by silica sand. Impact angles of 15° , 30° , 60° and 90° were tested, two particle speeds （37 and 58 m/s） and two LSP irradiation conditions were used. Erosion marks were characterized by 3D profilometry and SEM analysis was conducted to identify the erosion mechanisms for each tested angle. The results showed a maximum erosive wear at low impact angles （ductile type behavior）. Erosion strength and the erosion mechanisms were not affected by the application of LSP and they were attributed to the high strain rate of the erosion phenomena. A few differences encountered on the erosion plots were explained on the basis of the surface roughness left by the LSP process. The maximum mass loss and the maximum erosion penetration happened in different impact angles （15° and 30° , respectively）. Finally, a well-defined erosion mechanism transition was observed, from cutting action at low impact angle, to crater formation at 90° of incidence.

Effect of laser shock processing on residual stress and fatigue behavior of 6061-T651 aluminum alloy

Laser shock processing is a very new technique and an emerging modern process that generates compressive stresses much deeper into the surfaces of metals or alloys. A brief parametric study of the effect of laser parameters on fatigue behavior and residual stress state generated in 6061-T651 alloy specimens was summarized. Residual stress of 6061-T651 alloy was analyzed both before and after laser processing with multishocks. The material remains in compressive residual stress of approximate 1mm in depth which is approximately 10 times deeper than that can be achieved with the conventional technique, and the maximal compressive residual stress at the surface of the sample is about -350MPa. Near the surface, yield strength and hardness are found to be increased by the laser shock. The ratio of fatigue crack initiation life for the laser-shocked to unshocked specimens is found to be 4.9 for specimens. The results clearly show that LSP is an effective surface treatment technique for improving the fatigue performance of aluminum alloys.

EFFECTS OF LASER SHOCK PROCESSING ON MATERIAL'S PROPERTIES

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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.

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.

Effects on Microstructure and Properties of Brass Treated by Laser Shock Processing

Laser shock processing （LSP） has been proposed as a new surface treatment for improving hardness, wear resistance and fatigue. In this paper, the effect of LSP on brass is investigated with experiment. Micro-hardness, roughness, microstructure, wear resistance and friction coefficient evolution are investigated for different parameters of LSP. The result shows that the roughness increases after LSP; no ablation is observed; the microstructure has no remarkable ehange; hardness and the wear resistance increase as the pulse density increases.

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.

Laser Shock Processing of Metal Sheet and Welded Joints

In order to study the application of laser shock processing(LSP) as a post weld treatment technology and a strengthening technology, a series experiments and analysis were taken in this paper. The hardness of the laser shock processed zone of Al-Li alloy was measured, and the microstructure and mechanical properties of the welded joints of the Ni-based superalloy GH30 and the Austenitic stainless steel !Crl8Ni9Ti were compared with those without LSP in this paper. The results showed that the size of strengthened zone was similar to that of laser spot and strengthened layer was about 1mm deep, and the high intense dislocations and twins produced in the shocked zone. Plastic strain also gained surface residual compress stress, which is benefit for the fatigue properties of welded zones. In this test , the surface hardness of welding zone of the superalloy GH30 improved obviously and tensile strength increased by 12%, but the improvement of fatigue life was not obvious; Martensite phase is formed in plasma welding !Crl8Ni9Ti, which reduced the effect of strain deformation martensite induced by laser shock processing, but the surface residual compress stress gained by laser shock processing can obviously improve the fatigue life of !Crl8Ni9Ti welded joints.

LASER SHOCK PROCESSING EXTENDS FATIGUE LIFE OF 2024T62

Anewtechnology──lasershockprocessing(LSP)forimprovingthemechanicalpropertiesofmetals,especiallyfatiguelife,ispresented.Themechanismofstresswavegeneratedbylasershockingisdescribed,andthestresswaveismeasuredwithPVDFtransducer.Ahigh-powerdensity,neodyrnium-glasslaserwasusedforshockingaluminumalloy,thefatiguelifeofaluminumalloywasincreasedgreatly.With95%confidence,thefatiguelifeofLSPspecimensis5.4to14.5timeslongerthantheunshockedSpecimensLaser s

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.

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.

PROPERTY AND THERMOSTABLITY STUDY ON TC6 TITANIUM ALLOY NANOSTRUCTURE PROCESSED BY LSP

TC6 titanium alloy samples are processed by laser shock peening （LSP）. Then, some samples are vacu- um annealed at 623 K for 10 h for the study on the thermost.ablity of the nanostructure produced by LSP. The characteristics of the strengthened layer and nanostructure are studied by atomic force microscopy（AFM）, scan- ning electron microscope （SEM）, electron backscatter diffraction（EBSD）, X-ray diffraction（XRD）, and transmis- sion electron microscopy（TEM） appliances, meanwhile the enhanced microhardness is tested at cross section. AFM of the processed surface indicates that the deformation is approximately uniform, and LSP slightly increases the roughness. SEM and EBSD of the strengthened cross section show that a phases are compressed to strip- shaped, a proportion of a and ~ phases is shattered to smaller phases from surface to 200 ttm in depth. The sur- face XRD shows that although there is no new produced phase during LSP, the grain size refinement and the in- troduction of lattice micro-strains lead to the broadened peak. The TEM photographs and diffraction patterns in- dicate that the shock wave provides high strain rate deformation and leads to the formation of nanocrystal. Com- pared with the samples before annealing, the dislocation density is lower and the grain-boundary is more distinct in the annealed samples, but the nanocrystal size does not grow bigger after annealing. The microhardness measurement indicates that LSP improves the microhardness of TC6 for about 12.2% on the surface, and the layer affected by LSP is about 500/~m in depth. The microhardness after annealing is 10 HVo.5 lower, but the affected depth does not change. The thermostable study shows that the strengthened layer of TC6 processed by LSP is stable at 623 K. The strengthened thermostable layer can significantly improve the fatigue resistance, wear resis- tance and stress corrosion resistance of the titanium alloy. The study results break the USA standard AMS2546 that titanium parts after LSP are subjected in subsequent processing within 589 K.