Residual Stress Asymmetry in Thin Sheets of Double-Sided Shot Peened Aluminum

The local mechanical properties and residual stresses of a double-sided shot-peened aluminum alloy AA7050-T7451 sheet were measured by nanoindentation and simulated by the finite element method (FEM). The variation of the pileup area around the indentation due to residual stresses, as well as changes in hardness as a function of cold working, was assessed. Numerical simulations were conducted to investigate the residual stress profile. When the indentation contact area was corrected to account for pileup induced from residual stresses, the hardness increased about 10% over the range of depths at which compressive residual stresses exist, indicating some strain hardening did occur. The maximum compressive residual stress for the second shot-peened surface is on the order of 10% higher than the first surface; this is ascribed to the sequencing during the peening process, in which the first side peening influenced the stress throughout the part thickness for these thin plate structures. The ability to couple FEM simulations and rapid experimental assessments of residual stresses and hardness allows for future prediction of part thickness effects in double-sided peening processes.