Laser Peening topic at Shot Peening Conference

Mr. David Lahrman will present a paper he co-authored entitled, “The LaserPeen™ Process and Emerging Applications”  September 12-15, 2011 at the 11th International Conference on Shot Peening.
ABSTRACT
“Laser peening has been demonstrated as a unique and valuable method to increase the resistance of aircraft gas turbine engine compressor and fan blades to foreign object damage (FOD) and improve high cycle fatigue (HCF) life.  Laser peening is also known as the LaserPeen^™ Process or laser shock processing (LSP).
Laser peening drives a high amplitude shock wave into a material surface using a high-energy laser pulse. The plastic deformation caused by the shock wave results in deep compressive residual stresses in the surface of the part. The depth and magnitude of the residual stresses depend upon the material and the processing parameters. Compressive residual stresses typically extend as deep as 0.040-0.060 inches (1.0 to 1.5 mm) below the surface and can approach the yield strength of the material. These compressive residual stresses increase the resistance of materials to surface-related failures such as fatigue, fretting fatigue, and stress corrosion cracking.
The successful use of laser peening on aircraft turbine engines blades is driving development efforts to expand the use of this technology to airframe structures, automotive gears, medical devices, nuclear systems, and general industrial applications.  The laser peening process is described and factors important for successful applications are discussed.”
Two additional papers are planned to be presented.  One by Yunfeng Cao and Yung C. Shin of the Center for Laser-based Manufacturing at Purdue University entitled, “Predictive self-closed modeling of laser shock peening and parametric study,” another by Anoop Vasu1 and Ramana V. Grandhi2 of the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering at Wright State University entitled, “Compressive Residual Stress Optimization in Laser Peening of a Curved Geometry.”  Follow the links below to read the abstracts for these two papers.
Predictive self-closed modeling of laser shock peening
Compressive Residual Stress Optimization in Laser Peening of Curved Geometry