초록 ▼

Various laser shock processing systems are provided to establish selective compressive residual stress distribution profiles within a workpiece. An asymmetrical stress profile may be formed through the thickness of a thin section of a gas turbine engine airfoil. One system is configured to simultane

Various laser shock processing systems are provided to establish selective compressive residual stress distribution profiles within a workpiece. An asymmetrical stress profile may be formed through the thickness of a thin section of a gas turbine engine airfoil. One system is configured to simultaneously irradiate a workpiece with a set of laser beams to form a corresponding set of adjacent non-overlapping laser shock peened surfaces, enabling the shockwaves to encounter one another. Another system irradiates opposite sides of the workpiece at different times to form opposing laser shock peened surfaces, enabling the shockwaves to meet at a location apart from the mid-plane. Another system simultaneously irradiates opposite sides of the workpiece using laser beams having different pulse lengths to form opposing laser shock peened surfaces. Another system simultaneously irradiates opposite sides of the workpiece to form a set of laterally offset laser shock peened surfaces.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A system for use with an object, said system comprising:a laser shock peening apparatus; anda controller to selectively control said laser shock peening apparatus;said controller being configured to direct said laser shock peening apparatus to laser shock peen a same side of said object to thereb

1. A system for use with an object, said system comprising:a laser shock peening apparatus; anda controller to selectively control said laser shock peening apparatus;said controller being configured to direct said laser shock peening apparatus to laser shock peen a same side of said object to thereby form at least one set of simultaneously formed, non-overlapping adjacent laser shock peened surfaces. 2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said controller being configured further to direct said laser shock peening apparatus to form a selective laser beam spot pattern on said object sufficient to enable the formation of an overlapping region having compressive residual stress imparted by laser shock peening, said region extending into said object from a said respective laser shock peened surface. 3. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said controller being configured further to direct said laser shock peening apparatus to form a selective laser beam spot pattern on said object sufficient to enable at least two respective shockwaves induced by laser shock peening in connection with the simultaneous formation of at least two respective non-overlapping adjacent laser shock peened surfaces to encounter one another within said object. 4. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said controller being configured further to direct said laser shock peening apparatus to form a selective laser beam spot pattern on said object, the spot pattern being configured to effectuate the formation of at least one row of spaced-apart shockwave intersection sites in said object, each shockwave intersection site being defined by an encounter between shockwaves induced by laser shock peening, traveling from neighboring spaced-apart laser beam spots. 5. The system as recited in claim 4, wherein each row of the spot pattern comprises an alternating sequence of shockwave intersection sites and spot overlap sites, each spot overlap site being defined by an overlap between neighboring laser beam spots. 6. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said controller being configured further to direct said laser shock peening apparatus to form a selective laser beam spot pattern on said object including at least one row of laser beam spots arranged in spaced-apart sets of overlapping pairs, the spatial relationship between adjacent pairs being sufficient to enable the formation of a shockwave intersection site disposed at least in part therebetween, each shockwave intersection site being defined by an encounter between shockwaves induced by laser shock peening traveling from nearest neighbor laser beam spots of adjacent laser beam spot pairs. 7. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said controller being configured further to direct said laser shock peening apparatus to form a selective laser beam spot pattern on said object including at least one row of non-overlapping laser beam spots configured to define a selective pattern of shockwave intersection sites, each shockwave intersection site being defined by an encounter between shockwaves induced by laser shock peening traveling from neighboring laser beam spots. 8. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said controller being configured further to direct said laser shock peening apparatus to form a selective laser beam spot pattern on said object including at least one row of overlapping laser beam spots, the spot pattern being configured to effectuate the formation of at least one row of shockwave intersection sites in said object, each row of shockwave intersection sites being generally disposed between respective adjacent ones of the laser beam spot rows, each shockwave intersection site being defined by an encounter between shockwaves induced by laser shock peening traveling from laser beam spots of adjacent non-overlapping rows. 9. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said controller being configured further to direct said laser shock peening apparatus to sequentially form at least one selective laser beam spot pattern on said object, each pattern being configured to effectuate the formation of at least one row of shockwave intersection sites in said object, each shockwave intersection site being defined by an encounter between shockwaves induced by laser shock peening traveling from neighboring laser beam spots. 10. The system as recited in claim 9, wherein each row of shockwave intersection sites associated with a respective laser beam spot pattern being associated with a respective orientation characteristic defining a directional orientation of the shockwave intersection sites associated therewith. 11. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said object includes an airfoil. 12. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said object includes a gas turbine engine component. 13. A system for use with an object, said system comprising:a laser shock peening apparatus; anda controller to selectively control said laser shock peening apparatus;said controller being configured to direct said laser shock peening apparatus to laser shock peen said object at a plurality of locations on a same side thereof to thereby form at least one set of simultaneously formed, spaced-apart adjacent laser shock peened surfaces and to induce the generation of a respective shockwave in association with the formation of each laser shock peened surface;wherein the respective spaced-apart relationship between the respective laser shock peened surfaces of at least one respective set of laser shock peened surfaces being sufficient to enable the respective shockwaves associated therewith to encounter one another within said object. 14. A system for use with an object having a first side and a second side disposed generally opposite one another, said system comprising:a laser shock peening apparatus; anda controller to selectively control said laser shock peening apparatus;said controller being configured to direct said laser shock peening apparatus to laser shock peen said object to form at least one set of opposing laser shock peened surfaces formed at different times and disposed at different ones of the first and second sides of said object in a manner sufficient to enable respective shockwaves associated with the first and second sides to encounter one another within said object for a period of time. 15. The system as recited in claim 14, wherein the respective formation of each respective set of opposing laser shock peened surfaces occurring apart in time by an amount equal to between about 1 ns to about 2000 ns. 16. The system as recited in claim 14, wherein the respective laser shock peened surfaces associated with each respective set of opposing laser shock peened surfaces being formed dimensionally substantially identically and being arranged in substantial coaxial alignment with one another. 17. The system as recited in claim 14, wherein said object includes an airfoil. 18. The system as recited in claim 14, wherein said object includes a gas turbine engine component. 19. A system for use with an object having a first side and a second side disposed generally opposite one another, said system comprising:a laser shock peening apparatus; anda controller to selectively control said laser shock peening apparatus;said controller being configured to direct said laser shock peening apparatus to laser shock peen said object to develop at least one set of opposing time-staggered shockwaves at different ones of the first and second sides of said object in a manner sufficient to enable respective shockwaves associated with the first and second sides to encounter one another within said object for a period of time. 20. The system as recited in claim 19, wherein said controller being configured further to direct said laser shock peening apparatus, in connection with the respective development of each set of opposing shockwaves, to respectively form first and second laser shock peened surfaces at different times on different ones of the first and second sides of said object. 21. A system for use with an object having a first side and a second side disposed generally opposite one another, said system comprising:a laser shock peening apparatus; anda controller to selectively control said laser shock peening apparatus;said controller being configured to direct said laser shock peening apparatus to simultaneously laser shock peen said object at the first and second sides thereof using laser beams having different pulse lengths to respectively form first and second laser shock peened surfaces on the first and second sides of said object, respectively. 22. The system as recited in claim 21, wherein said object includes an airfoil. 23. The system as recited in claim 21, wherein said object includes a gas turbine engine component. 24. The system as recited in claim 21, wherein said first and second laser shock peened surfaces being disposed generally opposite one another. 25. The system as recited in claim 24, wherein said first and second laser shock peened surfaces being substantially dimensionally identical. 26. The system as recited in claim 24, wherein said first and second laser shock peened surfaces being arranged in substantial coaxial alignment with one another. 27. A system for use with an object having a first side and a second side disposed generally opposite one another, said system comprising:a laser shock peening apparatus; anda controller to selectively control said laser shock peening apparatus;said controller being configured to direct said laser shock peening apparatus to laser shock peen said object to form at least one set of simultaneously formed laser shock peened surfaces each disposed at a different one of the first and second sides of said object;wherein the respective laser shock peened surfaces of at least one respective set of simultaneously formed laser shock peened surfaces being respectively formed using laser beams having different pulse lengths. 28. The system as recited in claim 27, wherein the respective laser shock peened surfaces of each set of simultaneously formed laser shock peened surfaces formed by use of differential pulse length laser beams being substantially identical and being disposed substantially opposite one another. 29. A system for use with an object having a first side and a second side disposed generally opposite one another, said system comprising:a laser shock peening apparatus; anda controller to selectively control said laser shock peening apparatus;said controller being configured to direct said laser shock peening apparatus to laser shock peen said object to form a plurality of laser shock peened surfaces, said plurality of laser shock peened surfaces including at least one set of laterally offset, simultaneously formed laser shock peened surfaces each disposed at a different one of the first and second sides of said object and formed using laser beams of different pulse lengths. 30. The system as recited in claim 29, wherein the respective lateral offset relationship associated with each respective set of laterally offset, simultaneously formed laser shock peened surfaces being sufficient to enable shockwaves associated therewith induced by laser shock peening to encounter one another within said object. 31. The system as recited in claim 29, wherein said object includes an airfoil. 32. The system as recited in claim 29, wherein said object includes a gas turbine engine component. 33. A system for use with an object having a first side and a second side disposed generally opposite one another, said system comprising:a laser shock peening apparatus; anda controller to selectively control said laser shock peening apparatus;said controller being configured to direct said laser shock peening apparatus to laser shock peen said object using laser beams having different pulse lengths to cause at least one set of laterally offset shockwaves to develop simultaneously at different ones of the first and second side s of said object and subsequently interact with one another within said object. 34. The system as recited in claim 33, wherein said controller being configured further to direct said laser shock peening apparatus, in connection with the simultaneous development of each respective set of laterally offset shockwaves, to simultaneously form a set of laterally offset laser shock peened surfaces on different ones of the first and second sides of said object. 35. A system for use with an object having a first side and a second side disposed generally opposite one another, said system comprising:a laser shock peening apparatus; anda controller to selectively control said laser shock peening apparatus;said controller being configured to direct said laser shock peening apparatus to simultaneously laser shock peen said object at the first and second sides thereof using laser beams of different pulse lengths to form first and second laser shock peened surfaces at the first and second sides of said object, respectively, wherein the first and second laser shock peened surfaces having a lateral displacement therebetween. 36. A system for use with an object, said system comprising:a laser shock peening apparatus; anda controller to selectively control said laser shock peening apparatus;said controller being configured to direct said laser shock peening apparatus to laser shock peen said object on a same side thereof at different times to thereby form at least one set of at least two formed non-overlapping adjacent laser shock peened surfaces having a spacing distance equal to or less than 5 mm from each other and having a maximum time between forming of equal to or less than the spacing distance divided by a shockwave velocity in the object. 37. A system for use with an object, said system comprising:a laser shock peening apparatus; anda controller to selectively control said laser shock peening apparatus;said controller being configured to direct said laser shock peening apparatus to laser shock peen a same side of said object at different times to thereby form at least one set of at least two formed laser shock peened surfaces each having a center, the spacing distance between said centers being a distance equal to or less than 5 mm from each other and having a maximum time between forming of equal to or less than the spacing distance divided by shockwave velocity in the object.