Effect of laser shock peening and surface mechanical attrition treatment on the oxidation resistance of a 20Cr-25Ni-Nb stainless steel

In this study, the effects of laser shock peening (LSP) and surface mechanical attrition treatment (SMAT) were comparatively investigated on the oxidation behaviors of 20Cr-25Ni-Nb stainless steel in a high-temperature (650 °C) CO2 environment up to 1000 h. The results show that the oxidation resistance of stainless steel can be improved by LSP but deteriorated by SMAT. LSP promoted the formation of a thin and uniform Cr-rich oxide layer on the 20Cr-25Ni-Nb stainless steel instead of a thick duplex oxide layer with Fe-rich outer layer and Cr-rich inner layer which appeared on the untreated sample. For the SMAT-treated sample, besides the oxide scale, a thick internal oxidation zone (IOZ) and oxides spallation were also observed. The formation of a Cr-rich oxide layer was facilitated by the enhancement of the Cr diffusion within the LSP-induced hardened layer. The unsatisfying oxidation performance of the SMAT-treated sample is due to the surface micro-cracks and significant grain refinement which synergistically contributed to the visible carburization and oxidation in a high-temperature CO2 environment.