Effects of laser shocking on the mechanical properties of metals

The high power density,neodymium glass laser is used to laser shock process aluminum alloy 2024T62.Laser parameters:the duration(FWHM) is 30ns,the single laser pulse energy is 16.5 to 27.5J,the power density is 1.1 to 1.6GW/cm2.The test results show that the hardness of laser shocking zone is increased about 42%,the surface grains of laser shocking zone are fined and the fatigue life of aluminum alloy is increased significantly.With 95% confidence,the fatigue life of laser shock processing specimens is 5.4 to 14.5 times larger than the unprocessed specimens.