Jackie and bryan-- i have got to tell you, i love these digressions into technical terms and definintions.. in most cases, i have 0.05% knowledge about the subject-- and after reading the posts, i feel like my knowlegde has been boosted to 10%-- but since i don't use it, or need it, it quickly, and massively falls back.. and i am left knowing .1% about something! not much, but i have doubled my knowledge!
i don't know what shot-peening is , but i am going to guess-- a peen is what a hammer has -- as in a "ball peen hammer" and to peen something is to shape or temper it by hitting it with a peen..
peening metal is one way to make it stronger.. and tin plate (a pie pan, maybe) or copper trays are often finished with a peened surface (it gives them a dimmpled look) to make these soft materials stronger.. but i think you can peen a surface, not have a dimple look, and still have made the metal stronger.. it is the peening, and not the dimples that have the effect of making the metal stronger.
so i think shot peening is just a specific type of peening..
