Integral Improvement Of Mechanical And Surface Properties Of Aisi 316l Stainless Steel By Laser Shock Processing

Laser shock processing (LSP) is as an effective technology for the improvement of surface and mechanical properties of metallic alloys and is an emerging technology in its way to production engineering in direct competence with other established technologies as, i.e. shot peening. The main advantage of the laser shock processing technique consists on its capability of inducing a relatively deep compression residual stresses field into metallic alloy pieces allowing an improved mechanical behaviour, explicitly, the life improvement under cyclic load connected with improved wear and corrosion resistance. Along with a description of the theoretical/computational and experimental methods developed by the authors for the predictive assessment and experimental implementation of LSP treatments, experimental results on the residual stress profiles and associated surface properties modification successfully reached under different LSP irradiation conditions in AISI 316L stainless steel (taken as representative material) are presented.