Thermal Effects on Surface and Subsurface Modifications in Laser-Combined Deep Rolling

Knowledge of the relationships between thermomechanical process loads and the resulting modifications in the surface layer enables targeted adjustments of the required surface integrity independent of the manufacturing process. In various processes with thermomechanical impact, thermal and mechanical loads act simultaneously and affect each other. Thus, the effects on the modifications are interdependent. To gain a better understanding of the interactions of the two loads, it is necessary to vary thermal and mechanical loads independently. A new process of laser-combined deep rolling can fulfil exactly this requirement. The presented findings demonstrate that thermal loads can support the generation of residual compressive stresses to a certain extent. If the thermal loads are increased further, this has a negative effect on the surface layer and the residual stresses are shifted in the direction of tension. The results show the optimum range of thermal loads to further increase the compressive residual stresses in the surface layer and allow to gain a better understanding of the interactions between thermal and mechanical loads.