Shot Peening Process and Wear Properties of Laser Additive Manufacturing 316L Stainless Steel

XIANG Jinbo; WANG Zhiqiang; LI Ning; CHU Changyong; YUE Xiaopeng

doi:10.16490/j.cnki.issn.1001-3660.2026.19.016

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Surface Technology ›› 2026, Vol. 55 ›› Issue (19) : 193-204. DOI: 10.16490/j.cnki.issn.1001-3660.2026.19.016

Surface and Interface Strengthening Technology

Shot Peening Process and Wear Properties of Laser Additive Manufacturing 316L Stainless Steel

XIANG Jinbo¹, WANG Zhiqiang^1,2, LI Ning¹, CHU Changyong^1,2, YUE Xiaopeng^1,*

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Abstract

Shot peening is an effective method for surface strengthening of metal components. Compared with other surface strengthening techniques, its advantage lies in flexibility, as it is not limited by the shape and position of the component, which can effectively meet the surface strengthening treatment needs of components with complex shapes and curved surfaces in L-PBF (laser powder bed fusion) manufacturing. However, the wear resistance of L-PBF 316L is intrinsically limited by its characteristic defects and anisotropic microstructure. While shot peening is known to enhance surface properties, a systematic understanding of how its parameters dictate the resulting surface integrity and the wear mechanisms in L-PBF 316L remains incomplete. This study aims to address this gap by innovatively correlating shot peening parameters with microstructural evolution and quantitatively linking them to specific transitions in the wear behavior. In order to systematically analyze the influence of shot peening parameters (shot diameter and pressure) on its microstructure and wear properties, the surface morphology, cross-sectional microstructure, hardness gradient, and dry tribological behavior before and after treatment were comprehensively evaluated with a friction and wear tester, an optical microscope (OM), an scanning electron microscope (SEM), an three-dimensional laser confocal microscope, and a Vickers hardness tester. These results were then compared with those of as-cast samples subjected to the same treatment. The results showed that shot peening could effectively eliminate near-surface porosity defects in laser additive manufacturing, induce severe plastic deformation in the surface layer, and formed a fine-grained hardened layer with a thickness of approximately 60-151 μm. When shot peening was performed at a gas pressure of 0.6 MPa and a shot diameter of 0.3 mm, the thickness of fine-grained hardened layer upon the surface of additive manufacturing 316L stainless steel was about 151 μm, with the hardness of about 375HV, which was about 56% higher than that of the core. And its wear rate was reduced by about 71.8% compared with the untreated sample, and by about 33.2% compared with the as-cast sample subjected to the same treatment. The wear resistance enhancement effect of the surface of 316L stainless steel formed by laser additive manufacturing was highly correlated with process parameters and initial forming methods. The key lies in utilizing shot peening to construct a surface state with fewer defects, a reasonable hardness gradient, and beneficial residual compressive stress, rather than blindly pursuing the enhancement of surface hardness. The surface cannot eliminate original pore defects and produce a surface hardened layer with sufficient thickness and strength when treated by shot peening with too small pressure and shot diameter, leading to severe wear characterized by the spalling of loose oxide films. Although excessive shot peening pressure and shot diameter can increase surface hardness, the fatigue spalling would be induced due to the introduction of micro cracks and roughening, leading to the weakening of wear resistance. It is effectively to remove original defects while avoiding the introduction of new damage under optimal processing parameters with pressure of 0.6 MPa and shot diameter of 0.3 mm, in which the wear mechanism transitions to two-body abrasive wear with the lowest wear rate. Furthermore, the non-equilibrium multi-layered microstructure unique to laser additive manufacturing exhibits superior wear resistance compared to the as-cast microstructure after shot peening treatment.

Key words

shot peening / laser powder bed fusion / wear resistance / wear mechanism / wear rate / wear scar morphology

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XIANG Jinbo, WANG Zhiqiang, LI Ning, CHU Changyong, YUE Xiaopeng. Shot Peening Process and Wear Properties of Laser Additive Manufacturing 316L Stainless Steel[J]. Surface Technology. 2026, 55(19): 193-204

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Funding

Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province (LY24E050007); Scientific Research Fund of Zhejiang Privincial Education Department (Y202455253); Research Fund of School of Information Engineering, Hangzhou Dianzi University (KYP0224002)