Effect of laser irradiation on the distribution of residual stresses in armco iron

Effect of pulsed laser treatment on the distribution of residual stresses, microhardness, and dislocation density in the plane of treatment was studied in armco iron. It is shown that, depending on the regime of treatment, compressive or tensile stresses can arise across the width of the laser path and that the enhanced microhardness in the zone of laser treatment correlates with the dislocation density in it.