Coverage

Factors affecting coverage density include: number of impacts (shot flow), exposure time, shot
properties (size, chemistry), and work piece properties. Coverage is monitored by visual
examination to determine the percent coverage (0-100%). Coverage beyond 100% cannot be
determined. The number of individual impacts is linearly proportional to shot flow, exposure area,
and exposure time. Coverage is not linearly proportional because of the random nature of the
process (chaos theory). When 100% coverage is achieved, with an exposure time of 1T,
locations on the surface have been impacted multiple times. At 150% coverage (1.5T), 5 or more
impacts occur at 52% of locations. At 200% coverage (2T), 5 or more impacts occur at 84% of
locations.
Coverage is affected by shot geometry and the shot and workpiece chemistry. The size of the
shot controls how many impacts there are per pound, where smaller shot produces more impacts
per pound therefore requiring less exposure time. Soft shot impacting hard material will take
more exposure time to reach acceptable coverage compared to hard shot impacting a soft
material (since the harder shot can penetrate deeper, thus creating a larger impression).
Coverage and intensity (measured by Almen strips) can have a profound effect on fatigue life.
This can affect a variety of materials typically shot peened. Incomplete or excessive coverage
and intensity can result in reduced fatigue life. Overpeening will cause excessive cold working of
the surface of the workpiece, which can also cause fatigue cracks. [7] Be diligent when developing
parameters for coverage and intensity, especially when using materials with different properties
(i.e. softer metal to harder metal). Testing fatigue life over a range of parameters would result in a
"sweet-spot" where there is near exponential growth to a peak fatigue life (x = peening intensity
or media stream energy, y = time-to-crack or fatigue strength) and rapidly decay fatigue life as
more intensity or coverage is added. The "sweet-spot" will directly correlate with the kinetic
energy transferred and the material properties of the shot media and workpiece.