A bibliometric analysis of the research on shot peening

Abstract

A bibliometric analysis of shot peening was carried out to provide insights into academic activities and trends of the research on surface treatment processes from 1997 to 2017 based on the publications collected from the database Science Citation Index. The analysis identified those countries, institutions, foundations, and journals which performed well in the research field of shot peening, and illustrated the collaborative relationships between countries and between institutions, respectively. The results suggest that the two subject categories, i.e. material science multidisciplinary and engineering mechanical, had the largest publication outputs, and that finite element modelling, ultrasonic shot peening, and parameters optimization were the current hotspots. They also indicate that the current and future research should be focused on four aspects: (1) finite element analysis with new methods such as discrete element method for modelling; (2) ultrasonic shot peening as a counterpart in modifying properties of metallic surface; (3) parametric optimization with advanced algorithms; (4) plasma nitriding as a complementary process applying after shot peening treatment.

Keywords:

• bibliometric analysis
• shot peening
• social network analysis
• word cluster

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the financial support provided by Tshwane University of Technology, University of Pretoria and Eskom Power Plant Institute (South Africa), and technical support from Dr Mitchell of FEAS, Pty LTD.

ORCID

Dawood A. Desai http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5608-4528

Francesco Pietra http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6447-7199

Additional information

Funding

This work was financially supported by Eskom Power Plant Institute (Republic of South Africa), University of Pretoria and Tshwane University of Technology.