Laser shock peened gas turbine engine intermetallic parts
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsSeetharamaiah Mannava, William D. Cowie
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An intermetallic article such as a gas turbine engine component and method of manufacture thereof includes a region having compressive residual stresses imparted by laser shock peening (LSP) extending into the article from a laser shock peened surface. One embodiment includes a turbine or compressor blade with an intermetallic airfoil having a leading edge and at least one laser shock peened surface extending radially along at least a portion of the leading edge with a region having compressive residual stresses imparted by laser shock peening (LSP) extending into the intermetallic airfoil from the laser shock peened surface.
Claims14
An article comprising:
- an intermetallic body,
- at least one laser shock peened surface on at least a portion of said intermetallic body,
- a region having compressive residual stresses imparted by laser shock peening extending into said intermetallic body from said laser shock peened surface,
- wherein said article is a gas turbine engine component comprising:
- an intermetallic airfoil having a leading edge and a trailing edge and a pressure side and a suction side,
- at least one laser shock peened surface on at least one of said sides of said airfoil,
- said laser shock peened surface extending radially along at least a portion of said leading edge and extending chordwise from said leading edge, and
- a region having compressive residual stresses imparted by laser shock peening extending into said airfoil from said laser shock peened surface.
A method for laser shock peening an intermetallic article, said method comprising:
- forming an coated surface by covering a laser shock peened surface on at least a portion of an intermetallic body of the intermetallic article with an ablative medium,
- providing a confining medium over the coated surface,
- firing a laser beam on the coated surface with sufficient power to vaporize the ablative medium and forming a region in the intermetallic body having compressive residual stresses imparted by the laser beam pulsing such that the region extends into the intermetallic body from the laser shock peened surface, and
- wherein the step of forming a coated surface comprises adhesively covering the laser shock peened surface with a tape having an ablative medium.
A method for laser shock peening an intermetallic article, said method comprising:
- forming an coated surface by covering a laser shock peened surface on at least a portion of an intermetallic body of the intermetallic article with an ablative medium,
- providing a confining medium over the coated surface,
- firing a laser beam on the coated surface with sufficient power to vaporize the ablative medium and forming a region in the intermetallic body having compressive residual stresses imparted by the laser beam pulsing such that the region extends into the intermetallic body from the laser shock peened surface,
- wherein the step of providing a confining medium over the coated surface comprises flowing a fluid curtain over the coated surface,
- continuously firing the laser beam, which repeatably pulses between relatively constant periods, on the coated surface of the body while providing continuous movement between the laser beam and the intermetallic body,
- firing the laser beam with sufficient power to vaporize the ablative medium with the pulses and forming laser beam spots on the coated surface,
- firing the laser to form a pattern of overlapping laser beam spots while the relative movement is being provided, and
- wherein the intermetallic body is a gas turbine engine airfoil and the portion of the intermetallic body is a leading edge of the airfoil.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.