Patent ID: 6422082
Filing Date: 2002-07-23
Classification: B23K,G01N,G21C,Y02E

Abstract:
A method for quality control testing of a laser shock peening process of a production workpiece, said method comprising:(a) ultrasonically scanning at least a portion of a laser shock peened surface on the workpiece wherein a region having deep compressive residual stresses imparted by the laser shock peening process extends into the workpiece from the laser shock peened surface, (b) digitizing a signal derived from said scanning and forming a digitized image of intensity values from the scanning, (c) calculating intensity values for a plurality of points of the digitized image and calculating at least one statistical function value of at least one statistical function of the workpiece based on the intensity values, and (d) comparing the statistical function value to a pass or fail criteria for quality assurance of the laser shock peening process or accepting or rejecting the workpiece.