A Rudimentary Analysis of Improving Fatigue Life of Metals by Shot-Peening

Abstract

In this paper, a rudimentary analysis of improving fatigue life of metals is presented. The process is viewed as one of repeated impact of a stream of hard shots on to a target. The model considers first a single shot impinging upon a target and, on bouncing, it leaves a residual stress below the surface of the target. The problem is then generalized to consider the effect of a stream of shots by assuming their effect to be uniformly distributed over the entire surface. The analysis is highly simplified and it mainly aims at understanding the mechanics of this complicated process. Although rudimentary, the theoretical analysis is seen to be in reasonable agreement with experimental results performed with shots on targets of various materials.