Atomic investigation of effects of coating and confinement layer on laser shock peening

We study laser shock peenings of copper single crystals using molecular dynamics simulations based on the ultrafast thermomechanical coupling model. We reveal the effects of ablation coating and confinement layer on response induced by laser shock peening and discuss the potential mechanisms. The results show that the confinement layer significantly enhances the mechanical response of laser shock peening and increases densities of defects caused by laser shock peening, whilst ablation coating has relatively little influence on mechanical response and defect density. Ablation coating inevitably causes the target metal to be contaminated by impurities. Our theoretical study can provide simplifications for improving laser shock peening technology.