Corrosion, wear and fatigue are the three failure modes of machine parts. Among these, fracture failure results in the most significant damage, with fatigue fracture occurring most frequently. Critical components in aircraft, locomotives, automobiles and steam turbines—such as springs, shafts, gears, connecting rods, blades and wheels—are subject to cyclic alternating loads that often lead to fatigue failure. Shot peening is a highly effective method for extending the fatigue life of these components.

Shot peening is also widely employed to enhance the stress corrosion resistance of metal parts. For instance, the durability of oil and natural gas pipelines against stress corrosion is significantly improved following the shot peening process.