Laser Shock Peening of Ti6Al4V Alloy with Combined Nanosecond and Femtosecond Laser Pulses

Study on the Effects of Multiple Laser Shock Peening Treatments on the Electrochemical Corrosion Performance of Welded 316L Stainless Steel Joints

To study the influence of laser shock peening on the electrochemical corrosion resistance of welded 316L stainless steel joints, welded 316L stainless steel joints are treated with different laser shock peening treatments (i.e., one, two, and three times). Our analysis employs electron backscattering diffraction (EBSD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), an X-ray stress meter, and electrochemical corrosion tests to observe and analyze the microstructure, structural composition, residual stress, and corrosion resistance in different areas of the surface of 316L before and after the laser shock peening. The results show that the residual stress distribution of the welded joints is optimized after laser shock peening, with a maximum residual compressive stress near the matrix of 171 MPa. When the number of laser shock peening treatments is two, the corrosion current reaches a minimum of 9.684×10−7 A/cm2, and optimal pitting resistance is obtained. However, when the number of laser shock peening treatments is further increased to three, the corrosion current increase and the pitting resistance decreases. In summary, the electrochemical corrosion resistance of the welded joints effectively improves after laser shock peening, but its performance begins to decline after three repeated shocks, which is related to the combined effects of stress change and microstructure phase transformation.

Micromorphology, Microstructure, and Wear Behavior of AISI 1045 Steels Irregular Texture Fabricated by Ultrasonic Strengthening Grinding Process

In this study, the tribological properties of three AISI 1045 steel samples were investigated. Two samples were treated with ultrasonic shot peening (USP) and ultrasonic strengthening grinding process (USGP), respectively, while the other one was only treated with a polishing process. Sample properties, such as surface morphology, roughness, microhardness, elastic modulus, frictional coefficient, and phase structures were analyzed. Results show that the sample treated with USGP had the best tribological properties. It realized the highest surface roughness, microhardness, and elastic modulus. Compared with a polished sample, the roughness of the sample treated with USGP increased by 157%, and the microhardness and elastic modulus improved by 32.8% and 21.3%, respectively. Additionally, USGP provided an average frictional coefficient of 0.4, decreasing approximately 45% compared to polishing. The possible mechanisms of USGP surface texturing were discussed. The findings denote that USGP could be an efficient approach to improve the fatigue life of some mechanical components.