Experiment investigation on microstructure and mechanical properties of TC17 titanium alloy treated by laser shock peening with different laser fluence

In this paper, microstructure, microhardness, and residual stress of TC17 titanium alloy treated by laser shock peening (LSP) with different laser fluence were examined and compared by x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, microhardness test, and residual stress test. The results of microstructure point out that microstrains and grain-refinement are generated in the material surface layer which is a severe plastic deformation layer. In relation to the microhardness and residual stress, the results indicate that LSP can obviously improve the hardness and introduce a great compressive residual stress which also has a good thermal stability. (C) 2013 Laser Institute of America.