14th International Conference on Shot Peening

Damage Tolerance Improvement of Load Bearing Metallic Structures via Laser Shock Peening

Nikolai Kashaeva, Sören Kellera, Volker Ventzkea, Benjamin Klusemanna

Institute of Materials Mechanics, Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon,

Max-Planck-str. 1, D-21502 Geesthacht, Germany, nikolai.kashaev@hereon.de (Nikolai Kashaev), soeren.keller@hereon.de (Sören Keller), volker.ventzke@hereon.de (Volker Ventzke)

b Institute of Product and Process Innovation, Leuphana University of Lüneburg,

Universitätsallee 1, D-21335 Lüneburg, Germany, benjamin.klusemann@leuphana.de (Benjamin Klusemann)

Introduction

Aircraft structures are subjected to a cyclic load and therefore can fail due to fatigue. To extend their fatigue life compressive residual stresses can be introduced in critical regions to reduce crack driving tensile stresses and to retard the fatigue crack growth or even to suppress the fatigue crack initiation. Laser shock peening (LSP) as a very promising technique for introducing deep compressive residual stresses is investigated in this study.

Objectives

One objective of the study was the development of a methodology for the prediction of fatigue crack propagation in structural metallic materials considering LSP-induced residual stresses.

The second objective was to investigate the extent to which the fatigue behaviour of laser beam-welded butt joints with an already existing crack can be improved through the application of laser shock peening.