What is Shot Peening and Why is it Useful?

Christa was over a second a lap faster with no other changes after we put everything back together.  She reported the ride was a little better. We guess there is something to this.  We have shot peened Honda front suspension uprights and springs to get a longer life out of them before using the same principle.

When you apply stress to metal, particularly when it’s cold, it work hardens, some metals do this more than others. This is because the stress causes the grain of the metal to become finer. Processes like forging, roll forming and flow forming work in much the same manner.

Some shot peening equipment uses compressed air to propel the shot to the part being shot peened, much like in sandblasting.  Other methods include centrifugal flinging of the shot at a part to control its velocity precisely.

Here is a large-size shot peening machine that can treat big parts.