LASER SHOCK PROCESSING AND IT'S EFFECT ON PRPERTIES OF H13 TOOL STEEL

Laser shock peening (LSP) is now matured surface enhancement technology used to improve fatigue life.  This paper focused on to study the effect of laser peening on micro-structural and mechanical properties of H13 tool steel. Laser shock peening treatment was performed on these tool steel specimens by using pulsed ND: YAG laser with 1.6 J energy and 2 Hz frequency.  X-ray stress analysis, micro-hardness testing and micro-structural analysis were performed to characterize these laser peened specimens. In addition, low cycle fatigue (LCF) and pin on disk wear testing were executed to recognize wear and fatigue behavior of this laser peened tool steels. It was observed that along with deep compressive residual stress generation, laser shock peening also induces work hardening effect which are responsible for significant improvement in fatigue and wear performance of this tool steel.