Positron annihilation study of aluminum, titanium, and iron alloys surface after shot peening

Shot peening influence on alloys based on iron, aluminum, and titanium was studied using positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) and residual stress measurements. The PALS spectra were analyzed assuming two lifetime components. While the residual stresses change in a similar way in all the samples, the PALS results show an opposite tendency of a component relative intensities change with the time of shot peening for the Ti alloy as compared to steel or the Al alloy. A comparison between the depth profiles of positron implantation and the residual stress distribution reveals that the positron range covers a whole depth where residual stress is observed only in the Ti alloy. Based on this observation, the evolution of the defect concentration is presumed, consisting in migration of large defects away from the surface, while only smaller ones remain close to the surface. Furthermore, the positron lifetime distribution in the Al alloy was determined using the MELT program. The results showed that the initial single, wide distribution of lifetime splits into two narrower ones with increasing shot peening time. (orig.)