Thermal relaxation of residual stress in laser shock peened Ti-6Al-4V alloy

► A rate/temperature-dependent plasticity model for Ti-6Al-4V has been formulated. ► Thermal relaxation of residual stress in LSPed Ti-6Al-4V has been investigated. ► The effects of heating temperature and exposure time are studied. ► An analytical model for thermal relaxation is established. ► The thermal activation enthalpy of the relaxation process is obtained.