Title: Residual stress, fatigue and electrical conductivity analysis after shot peening of aluminium alloy AlZn5.5MgCu

Authors: Sebastjan Žagar; Janez Grum

Addresses: Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Aškerčeva 6, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia ' Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Aškerčeva 6, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia

Abstract: The paper deals with the effect of different shot peening (SP) treatment conditions on the aluminium alloy AlZn5.5MgCu. The objective of the research was to establish the optimal parameters of the shot peening treatment of the aluminium alloy in different precipitation hardened states. The resulting residual stress profiles reveal that stresses throughout the thin surface layer of all shot peened specimens are of compressive nature. Comparison of different temperature of precipitation hardening of aluminium alloy shows that changes after different shot peening conditions have greater effect than coverage. Wöhler curves were determined in the areas of maximum bending loads between 30-65% of material's tensile strength. The results of material fatigue testing differ from the level of shot peening on the surface layer. Also electrical conductivity measurements were performed by means of eddy currents with the objective of distinguishing the effects of precipitation hardening and microplastic deformation on individual specimens.

Keywords: aluminium alloys; different states; AlZn5.5MgCu; shot peening; residual stress; fatigue testing; electrical conductivity; precipitation hardening; bending loads; tensile strength; microplastic deformation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMMP.2013.059480

International Journal of Microstructure and Materials Properties, 2013 Vol.8 No.6, pp.447 - 461

Published online: 23 Feb 2014 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article