People have long observed that fatigue and stress corrosion cracking (SCC) resistance of engineering components can be improved by introducing compressive stress to the surface layer. Various methods have been developed to mechanically introduce the compressive stress, such as shot peening, sand blasting, and surface rolling. However, due to the capabilities of the above methods, the magnitude and location of the compressive stress are limited. Laser peening, which is capable of providing much more precisely placed compressive stress, makes it possible to improve fatigue and SCC resistance of components exactly where it is required on a component.
Read the full tech brief — Laser Peening