Studying the structure and mechanical behavior of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene samples after laser hardening

Improving the fatigue and strength properties of structural materials involves various surface processing methods. Laser shock peening (LSP), typically applied to the surfaces of metal components and structures, is one of the widely used approaches. This study explores the potential application of LSP to non-metallic composite materials produced via fused deposition modeling. The research examines the physical mechanisms and fundamental principles of LSP, along with its effects on the microstructure and mechanical properties of composite products. The structure of the composite samples before and after LSP was analyzed by X-ray computed microtomography. Tensile tests were conducted on samples treated with LSP, and different absorbing layers were compared, namely aluminum foil, PVC tape, and gold coating. The results have shown that the mechanical properties of the LSP-treated samples, regardless of the absorbing layer used, differ only slightly from each other and from the untreated samples.