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Meaning & use

peening

noun, verb·Advancedtechnical

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UK/ˈpiːnɪŋ/
US/ˈpiːnɪŋ/

Meanings

  1. noununcountabletechnical

    A metalworking process that strikes a surface repeatedly, with a hammer or small shot, to shape, flatten or strengthen it.

    Grammar: Not used with a: peening improves fatigue life.

    Patterns

    • peening of something

    Shot peening makes the aircraft wing parts more resistant to cracks.

    The blacksmith finished the edge with careful peening.

    Peening of the weld helped relieve internal stress.

  2. verbtransitivetechnical

    The -ing form of peen, meaning to shape or harden metal by striking it repeatedly.

    Grammar: Takes an object: he is peening the rivet head.

    Patterns

    • peen something
    • peen something over

    He is peening the end of the rivet so it holds firmly.

    The workers are peening the surface of the metal plate.

    She was peening the edge of the blade when the sparks flew.

Word forms

base formpeen
third person singularpeens
past tensepeened

Common combinations

shot peening
Shot peening is common in car engine production.
laser peening
Laser peening can strengthen turbine blades.
hammer peening
Hammer peening is done by hand or with a power tool.
peening process
The peening process takes about ten minutes per part.
surface peening
Surface peening adds compressive stress to the metal.

Synonyms and how they differ

hammering
Hammering is a general word for striking, while peening is a controlled process for shaping or strengthening metal.
forging
Forging shapes hot metal with large force, whereas peening often treats the surface of finished parts.
hardening
Hardening is the result, but peening is only one method for reaching it.

Word family

peen verb
to strike metal to shape or strengthen it
peen noun
the rounded or wedge-shaped end of a hammer head
peened adjective
treated by peening
ball-peen adjective
describing a hammer with a rounded end

Commonly confused: peening or pinning? peening or peeing?

peening vs pinning

Pinning means fastening with a pin, not striking metal to change its surface.

peening vs peeing

This sounds almost the same but refers to urinating, so check the spelling carefully.

Practice

The engineer chose shot ___ to make the gear surface more resistant to fatigue cracks.

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