Shot peening in the aerospace industry

The aerospace industry is one of the most demanding fields, where part reliability is critical — and shot peening plays a key role. See the basics: what is shot peening.

Why is shot peening important in aerospace?

Shot peening is frequently required in aircraft repairs, to replace the tensile stresses accumulated after machining and heat treatment with beneficial compressive stresses. The residual compressive stress is produced by transferring the kinetic energy of the shot.

How does it increase component life?

Cracks do not initiate or propagate in a zone under compression. Since almost all fatigue and stress-corrosion failures originate at the surface, shot peening delivers significant increases in the life of components under constant load.

A fully controlled process

In aerospace, the process must be fully reproducible, exactly repeatable and easy to keep under control — requirements met by VIBROBLAST equipment.

Conclusion

Shot peening is key to the safety and durability of aerospace components. See also the standards governing the process.