| Abstract Scope |
Critical components in aerospace industries, such as turbine blades and landing gears, are increasingly produced using additive manufacturing (AM), especially laser-powder-bed-fusion (LPBF). Despite LPBF's advantages, the high surface roughness of as-printed parts compromises durability, necessitating post-processing to meet stringent industry standards. Shot peening, a surface work hardening process, improves surface quality, attaining uniform stress distribution and better durability. However, the effectiveness of shot peening on AM components with complex surface orientations is poorly understood. In this work, the effect of shot peening on roughness of LPBF-manufactured 316SS is analyzed, considering surface orientations from 0-90°. Additionally, peening parameters are optimized for achieving uniform roughness across various surface orientations. Optimized peening conditions effectively reduced roughness (≈50%), and induced compressive stresses, thereby increasing surface strength and hardness (≈35%). As the industry embraces AM for parts with complex-oriented designs, these results provide a pathway to achieve optimum surface in AM parts through shot peening. |