Characterization of Residual Stress in Shot Peened Al 7075 Alloy Using Surface Acoustic Wave

The residual stress in shot-peened Al 7075 alloy was evaluated using surface acoustic wave (SAW). Shot peening was conducted to produce a variation in the residual stress with the depth below the surface under a shot velocity of 30 m/s. The SAW velocity was measured from the V(z) curve using a scanning acoustic microscopy (SAM). The Vickers hardness profile from the surface showed a significant work hardening near the surface layer with a thickness of about 0.25 mm. As the residual stress became more compressive, the SAW velocity increased, whereas as the residual stress became more tensile, the SAW velocity decreased. The variation in the SAW velocity through the shot peened surface layer was in good agreement with the distribution of the residual stress measured by X-ray diffraction technique.