Cavitation shotless peening for improvement of fatigue strength of carbonized steel

Mechanical surface enhancement techniques are used to introduce compressive residual stresses to enhance the fatigue life and corrosion resistance of metallic components. In this study, we compare the effects of three advanced mechanical surface enhancements treatments: laser shock peening, cavitation shotless peening and ultrasonic nano structure modification on residual stress, hardness, plastic deformation and changes in near surface microstructure introduced in a Ni-Base superalloy, IN718 SPF(Super plastic forming). Coupons of the alloy were peened using two different conditions of each treatment and results compared to achieve a better understanding of underlying mechanisms of these techniques. Results indicate that there are significant differences in mechanisms of these surface treatments leading to differences in material response.

Comparison of mechanisms of advanced mechanical surface treatments in nickel-based superalloy

Cavitation impact, which normally produces severe damage in hydraulic machinery, can be used to modify surfaces in the same way as shot peening. Cavitation impact enables the surface of a material to be peened without the use of shot, thus it is called cavitation shotless peening. As there are no solid body collisions occurring in this peening process. the roughness of the peened surface should be less than that produced by shot peening. This characteristic makes it suitable for peening soft metals. In order to demonstrate the improvement of the fatigue strength of aluminum alloy be this process, specimens were subjected to the process, and then tested in a rotating bending fatigue test. Cavitation impacts were produced and controlled by using a submerged high speed water jet with cavitation, i.e., a cavitating jet. It was revealed that the fatigue strength of an aluminum alloy specimen treated by this peening process was 50% stronger than that of a specimen without peening.

Improvement of Fatigue Strength of Aluminum Alloy by Cavitation Shotless Peening

Four mechanical surface treatments have been considered for the application to austenitic stainless steel structures. Shot peening (SP), laser shock peening (LSP), ultrasonic impact treatment (UIT) and water jet cavitation peening (WJCP), also known as cavitation shotless peening (CSP), have been applied to 8 mm thick Type 304 austenitic stainless steel coupons. This study considers the merits of each of these mechanical surface treatments in terms of their effect on the surface roughness, microstructure, level of plastic work and through thickness residual stress distribution. Microstructural studies have revealed the formation of martensite close to the treated surface for each process. Residual stress measurements in the samples show compressive stresses to a significantly greater depth for the LSP, UIT and WJCP samples compared to the more conventional SP treated sample.

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T. Kusaka

Papers

Peening by the use of cavitation impacts for the improvement of fatigue strength