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Article

The Influence of Laser Shock Peening on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of AH32 Steel

1
Faculty of Mechanical and Material Engineering, Huaiyin Institute of Technology, Huai’an 223003, China
2
School of Mechanical Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
3
Wenzhou Vocational College of Science and Technology, Wenzhou 325006, China
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Materials 2025, 18(20), 4679; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18204679 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 1 September 2025 / Revised: 7 October 2025 / Accepted: 10 October 2025 / Published: 12 October 2025

Abstract

The mechanical integrity of shipbuilding steel under demanding maritime service conditions is a pivotal factor for ensuring the structural safety and operational longevity of vessels. This research employs laser shock peening (LSP) to augment the surface performance of AH32 steel and carries out a comprehensive analysis of the influence and underlying mechanisms of LSP on both the microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of the material. The results indicate that the LSP treatment successfully introduced a high magnitude residual compressive stress (−162 MPa) at the surface of AH32 steel. Additionally, the surface hardness of LSP-1 and LSP-2 increased by 7.3% and 14.7%, respectively. The tensile test results indicate that Sample LSP-2 achieved a 25.8% improvement in elongation while exhibiting only a 5.9% reduction in ultimate tensile strength. Friction and wear tests demonstrated that the average coefficient of friction for the samples treated with LSP decreased by approximately 18%, while the wear rate reduced significantly by over 40%.
Keywords: AH32; laser shock peening; tensile strength; tensile strength AH32; laser shock peening; tensile strength; tensile strength

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MDPI and ACS Style

Pei, X.; Shen, Y.; Xu, Z.; Li, P.; Peng, Y. The Influence of Laser Shock Peening on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of AH32 Steel. Materials 2025, 18, 4679. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18204679

AMA Style

Pei X, Shen Y, Xu Z, Li P, Peng Y. The Influence of Laser Shock Peening on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of AH32 Steel. Materials. 2025; 18(20):4679. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18204679

Chicago/Turabian Style

Pei, Xu, Yiming Shen, Zhaomei Xu, Pengfei Li, and Yuchun Peng. 2025. "The Influence of Laser Shock Peening on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of AH32 Steel" Materials 18, no. 20: 4679. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18204679

APA Style

Pei, X., Shen, Y., Xu, Z., Li, P., & Peng, Y. (2025). The Influence of Laser Shock Peening on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of AH32 Steel. Materials, 18(20), 4679. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18204679

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