Finite-Element Analysis of the Influence of Edge Geometry on Shot Peening Process

Shot peening involves bombarding the surface of a metal part with small spherical media called shot. It creates a uniform layer of compressive residual stress at surfaces and considerably increases the part life. This study is devoted to an evaluation of the edge (corner) effects in the shot peening process. Geometry variations in metal parts such as edges or corners cause variance in the residual stress profile induced by shot peening. This paper presents the finite-element modeling and scheme that we use to simulate the shot peening process by both single impact and multiple impacts for part geometries with different edge radii. The results achieved show that, after the same shot peening process, a part with a relatively larger edge radius results in a satisfactory residual stress profile which could equal or exceed that expected for a part with a smaller edge radius. The results may enable the automated edge preprocess step for shot peening with an easily machined large radius to reduce cost and improve productivity.