Effect of controlled shot peening and laser shock peening on the fatigue performance of 2024-T351 aluminum alloy

The influence of shot peening, laser shock peening, and dual (shot and laser peening) treatment on the fatigue behavior of 2024-T351 was investigated. Tests showed a fatigue life improvement in all three cases with laser shock peening and dual treatment displaying fatigue performance superior to shot peening. Fractographic analysis showed that the relatively poor performance of the shot peening is caused by ductility loss.