Spatial Distribution Evolution of Residual Stress and Microstructure in Laser-Peen-Formed Plates

Residual stress in structural components is crucial as it affects both service performance and safety. To investigate the evolution of residual stress in a laser-peen-formed panel, this study adopted two plate samples of thickness 3 and 9 mm instead of the conventional Almen strip. The two plates were peened with an identical energy density of 10.99 GW/cm(2). The residual stress across the entire section was determined using a slitting method, and near-surface stress was then verified by X-ray diffraction. Furthermore, cross-sectional variation in hardness and microstructure were characterized to understand the residual stress evolution. The experimental results showed that different thicknesses resulted in distinct spatial distributions of residual stress. The 3-mm plate demonstrated a shallow (0.5 mm) and lower compressive stress magnitude (−270 MPa) compared with a deeper (1 mm) and higher compressive stress (−490 MPa) in the 9-mm plate. Further analysis revealed that the deformation compatibility during the forming process inevitably leads to a stress compensation effect on the peened side. The decrease in the depth and magnitude of the compressive residual stress in the thin plate was mainly attributed to low stiffness and large deflection.