Analysis of the plastic deformation of AISI 304 steel induced by the nanosecond laser pulse

The paper presents result of experimental and numerical tests of plastic deformation of austenitic steel generated by a nanosecond laser pulse. The shock wave generated by the laser pulse was used to induce local plastic deformation of the material. The study examined the possibility of using the process to develop a laser forming of materials under ultra-high strain rate. It has been shown that the laser pulse with intensity 2.5 GW/cm2 induces a repeatable plastic deformation of commercially available 304 steel without thermal effects on the surface.