Patent ID: 6629464
Filing Date: 2003-10-07
Classification: B23K,C21D,G01N

Abstract:
A method for quality control testing of a laser shock peening process of production workpieces, said method comprising the following steps:(a) laser shock peening a surface of the production workpiece by firing a plurality of laser beam pulses from a laser shock peening system on the surface of the production workpiece and forming a plurality of corresponding plasmas, each one of the plasmas for each one of the pulses having a duration in which the plasma causes a region to form beneath the surface, the region having deep compressive residual stresses imparted by the laser shock peening process, (b) measuring an acoustic signal for each of the laser beam pulses during a period of time during the duration of each corresponding one of the plasmas, (c) calculating an acoustic energy parameter value for each of the acoustic signals, (d) calculating a statistical function value of the workpiece based on the acoustic energy parameter values, and (e) comparing the statistical function value to a pass or fail criteria for quality assurance of the laser shock peening process for accepting or rejecting the workpiece.