Laser Shock Peening

This technology relates to a laser shock peening process in which the collapse of a cavitation bubble is intentionally provided and is guaranteed to occur by the laser peening arrangement used. The application for this is either as:

• A secondary peening impact, which results in more effective processing. It has been determined that the impact pressure generated by the cavitation bubble collapse may be significantly greater than the pressure generated due to the plasma expansion of the laser shock peening event.
• A process diagnostic by monitoring the first bubble oscillation period of the cavitation impact. Repeatability of the bubble behaviour is directly related to the physical repeatability of the laser shock peening process.

The technology can be applied to all applications of laser shock peening, e.g., in the aerospace industry, to improve the mechanical properties of turbine blade tips and it is of interest to LSP service providers