Abstract
Laser peening, which is a surface treatment technique that improves the mechanical performance of
metals, is produced by plastic deformation due to laser-induced shock waves. Current studies on laser
peening focus on the magnitude of compressive residual stress and the hardness of the laser-peened
material. Systematic studies are required that consider many parameters related to efficient laser
peening. In this study, we investigated effect of controlling the plasma confinement layer on laser
peening and used an aqueous sucrose solution as the plasma confinement layer. The results indicate that
the aqueous sucrose solution has the potential to confine laser-induced plasma. We improved the laser
peening effect with an aqueous sucrose solution as the plasma confinement layer more than using water.
