MICROSTRUCTURAL STUDIES IN ALUMINUM ALLOY TREATED BY LASER SHOCK PROCESSING

S. ROSALES-DE LOS SANTOS ; G. GÓMEZ-ROSAS; M. A. SANTANA-ARANDA; C. RUBIO-GONZÁLEZ; S. HEREÑÚ; A. CHÁVEZ-CHÁVEZ; O. BLANCO-ALONSO; A. PÉREZ-CENTENO

Santiago de Compostela

Congreso; 23rd Congress of the International Commission for Optics; 2014

The laser shock processing (LSP) is a processing technique for the generation of compressive residual stress in the surface of materials. LSP experiments were performed using a Q switched Nd:YAG laser with a wavelength of 1064nm, energy of 1 J/pulse and spot diameter of 1.5 mm. A pulse density of 5000 pulses/cm2 was used in water jet configuration. The test pieces treated with this technique, experience microstructural changes on the surface and at a certain depth. These microstructural changes can be identified by the density of dislocations present in areas of study, which may be related to the resistance to wear and fatigue crack growth, among others. We show by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), how the microstructure of Al 6061-T6 in cold-rolled test pieces is modified after the LSP treatment.