Validation of a Finite Element Model by Neutron Diffraction for the Prediction of Peen Forming

In the present study, the evaluation of the deformation and the determination of the first order residual stresses in shot peened aluminium plate have been performed by neutron diffraction on the strain imaging instrument SALSA at the Institut Laue Langevin, Grenoble, France, in order to validate a model of finite element analysis permitting to predict the final deformation. The sample used in this study is a rolled aluminium sheet (Al 2024 T3 alloy) which was clamped in a steel frame and peened following exactly the industrial production process. The first measurements were performed on the sample while it was still clamped. The second set was made after removing it from the frame. For each case, we measured the lattice strains and determined the stress repartition in the three principal directions.