Search Results (5)

The harsh service environment has increased the demand for hydrophobic surfaces with excellent mechanical properties; however, how to manufacture such surfaces remains a significant challenge. In this study, a method for fabricating hydrophobic surfaces with excellent mechanical properties using femtosecond laser shock peening (fs-LSP) is proposed, without the need for any additional processing steps. Taking CH1900A martensitic steel as an example, a systematic analysis of the microstructure was conducted after fs-LSP, revealing the mechanisms by which fs-LSP affects surface morphology, grain structure, dislocation density, and grain boundary characteristics. The high-density dislocations and grain refinement induced by fs-LSP significantly enhanced the surface hardness and introduced residual compressive stresses. Additionally, the laser-induced periodic micro/nanostructures on the surface ensured excellent hydrophobic properties. The effect of single pulse energy and the number of impacts on fs-LSP has also been discussed in detail. As the pulse energy and number of impacts were increased, the surface microstructure of the material was progressively optimized, evidenced by grain refinement, an increase in geometrically necessary dislocation (GND) density, and a higher proportion of high-angle grain boundaries (HAGBs). Such optimization is not monotonous or unlimited; a pulse energy of 75 μJ and six impacts achieved the optimal effect, with the surface hardness reaching up to 8.2 GPa and a contact angle of 135 degrees. The proposed fs-LSP provides a new strategy for manufacturing hydrophobic surfaces with excellent mechanical properties, and the detailed discussion and analysis also provide theoretical guidance for process optimization. Full article

Laser shock peening (LSP) with nanosecond or femtosecond laser pulses is applied to improve the mechanical properties of metallic materials. Thus, it is necessary to compare the effects of different processing methods on microstructure changes and property improvement. In this study, nanosecond LSP (NLSP), femtosecond LSP (FLSP), and LSP with combined nanosecond and femtosecond laser pulses (F-NLSP) are conducted on Ti6Al4V alloys to compare the surface morphologies, in-depth microstructures, and nanohardness changes. In FLSP, the peened surface is smooth, and the affected depth is limited near the peened surface. NLSPed and F-NLSPed samples present rough surfaces due to the severe ablation process. Small equiaxed grains with no preferred grain orientation are denser in F-NLSPed samples than that in NLSPed samples. Compared with NLSPed samples, the affected depth and amplitude of in-depth nanohardness are larger in F-NLSPed samples. This is attributed to the increased laser absorption of incident laser on the treated surface by femtosecond laser pulses. The results in this study show the effects of different LSP methods and provide chances in engineering potentials for material property improvements. Full article

NiTi alloys are commonly used in many fields such as aerospace, mechanical engineering due to their excellent mechanical properties and shape memory effect. In recent years, the emergence of selective laser melting (SLM) technology provides a new method for the preparation of NiTi parts. But the surface corrosion failure of SLM-NiTi is the most common problem. This paper mainly focuses on the research of femtosecond laser shock peening of the surface of SLM-NiTi alloy to improve the corrosion resistance. Selecting different scanning space (1 μm, 3 μm, 5 μm, 10 μm), and analyze the surface morphology of the material through the OM, SEM, EDS and white light interferometer, and investigate the surface nanohardness and corrosion resistance through nanoindentation and electrochemical testing. The research results show that part of the TiO₂ is formed under different scanning spaces, and part of NiO is formed when the scanning space is 1μm. At the same time, it is found that the sample under the condition of 10 μm has the most excellent corrosion resistance and nanohardness. The nanohardness reaches 1303 ± 40 HV and the corrosion current density reaches 1.45 ± 0.1 × 10⁻⁹ A·cm⁻². Proper femtosecond laser treatment can effectively improve the surface strength and corrosion resistance of the NiTi alloys. Full article

SiC particle reinforced aluminum alloy has a wide application in the aerospace industries. In this study, laser shock peening (LSP), an advanced surface modification technique, was employed for SiCp/2009Al composite to reveal its microstructure, microhardness and residual stress evolution. After peening, high densities of dislocations were induced in the aluminum substrate, and stacking faults were introduced into the SiC particle. The microhardness was increased from 155–170 HV to 170–185 HV, with an affected depth of more than 1.5 mm. Compressive residual stresses of more than 200 MPa were introduced. The three-point bending fatigue of the base material, laser peened and milled after laser peened specimens with artificial crack notch fabricated by a femtosecond laser was investigated. The average fatigue lives of laser peened and milled after laser peened specimens were increased by up to 10.60 and 2.66 times, compared with the base material. This combined fundamental and application-based research seeks to comprehensively explore the applicability of LSP on metal matrix composite. Full article

The purpose of the present study was to verify the effectiveness of dry laser peening (DryLP), which is the peening technique without a sacrificial overlay under atmospheric conditions using femtosecond laser pulses on the mechanical properties such as hardness, residual stress, and fatigue performance of laser-welded 2024 aluminum alloy containing welding defects such as undercuts and blowholes. After DryLP treatment of the laser-welded 2024 aluminum alloy, the softened weld metal recovered to the original hardness of base metal, while residual tensile stress in the weld metal and heat-affected zone changed to compressive stresses. As a result, DryLP treatment improved the fatigue performances of welded specimens with and without the weld reinforcement almost equally. The fatigue life almost doubled at a stress amplitude of 180 MPa and increased by a factor of more than 50 at 120 MPa. DryLP was found to be more effective for improving the fatigue performance of laser-welded aluminum specimens with welding defects at lower stress amplitudes, as stress concentration at the defects did not significantly influence the fatigue performance. Full article