Characterization of Laser-Peened Materials by Synchrotron Radiation and Neutron Diffraction Techniques

Abstract

The effect of low energy laser peening (LP) without coating has been studied on metallic materials. A highly penetrable neutron beam was used to evaluate the overall distribution of residual stress. Compression in the top surface and its thermal stability were non-destructively confirmed through precise experiments with synchrotron radiation. The three-dimensional (3D) image of fatigue cracks was clearly reconstructed by micro tomography (μCT) with phase contrast technique. It was shown that the growth of the cracks was retarded for the laser-peened materials.