Effect of Laser Shock Peening Simulation Parameters on Residual Stress of Inconel Alloy 600 Steel

The effects of parameters related to the finite element simulation of the laser shock peening(LSP) process on the residual stresses of Inconel alloy 600 steel are discussed. In particular, we focus on the maximum pressure, pressure pulse duration, laser spot size, and number of shots. It is found that certain ranges of the maximum pressure and pulse duration can produce the maximum compressive residual stresses near the surface, and thus proper choices of these parameters are important. The residual stresses are not affected by the laser spot size, provided it is larger than a certain size. The magnitudes of the compressive residual stresses and the plastically affected depths are found to increase with an increasing number of shots, but this effect is less pronounced for more shots.