General Electric Company

Albert E McDaniel

Seetharamaiah Mannava

William D Cowie

Herbert Halila

James Edwin Rhoda

James Edward Gutknecht

Robert L Yeaton

Angel L Ortiz, Jr

Stephen Joseph Ferrigno

Brian Michael Davis

Jeffrey Howard Nussbaum

Steven Mark Ballman

Abraham S Assa

Andrea G M Cox

James R Zisson

Jeffrey D Losey

A method for laser shock peening rotor blade leading and trailing edges of gas turbine engine integrally bladed rotors and disks that are not blocked by other rows of blades. The method includes continuously firing a stationary laser beam, which repeatable pulses between relatively constant periods, along at least a portion of leading or trailing edges of the blade, with the laser beam aimed at an oblique angle with respect to a surface of the edge such that laser pulses form overlapping elliptical shaped laser spots. In the exemplary embodiment of the invention, the elliptical shaped laser spots have an overlap of about 50% and are on the order of 11.7 mm by 4 mm in diameter. Another method is for laser shock peening rotor blade leading and trailing edges of gas turbine engine integrally bladed rotors and disks that are blocked by other rows of blades. The method includes continuously firing the stationary laser beam, which repeatable pulses between relatively constant periods, along at least a portion of leading or trailing edges of the blade, with the laser beam compoundly angled such that it is aimed at a first oblique angle with respect to a surface of the edge and at a second oblique angle with respect to an axis about which the rotor is circumscribed. Laser pulses form the elliptical shaped laser spots that are angled from the leading edge radially inwardly towards the axis. In the exemplary embodiment, the elliptical shaped laser spots have an overlap of about 50%.

Laser shock peening integrally bladed rotor blade edges

A blisk includes a disk having a rim from which extends a row of blades. The rim includes axially opposite overhangs one of which includes an arcuate balance land disposed eccentrically to the centerline axis of the disk for balancing the blisk.

Eccentric balanced blisk

A dovetail assembly for mounting blades with dovetail roots axially into disk dovetail slots around a disk periphery which is subject to a tensile stress field due to centrifugal and thermal growth induced forces generated by the rotor when the rotor is rotating. The dovetail assembly has stress risers each in the form of a transition fillet between a neck or an area of minimum width and a pressure face which is designed to be a contact surface between complementary blade dovetail roots and disk dovetail slots formed between adjacent disk posts. The region around the stress riser has deep compressive residual stresses imparted by laser shock peening and is radially adjacent the stress riser and extends inward from a laser shocked surface of the component along the transition fillet.

Laser shock peened dovetails for disks and blades

A method of laser shock peening a metallic part by firing a laser on a laser shock peening surface of the part which has been adhesively covered by tape having an ablative medium, preferably a self adhering tape with an adhesive layer on one side of an ablative layer, while flowing a curtain of water over the surface upon which the laser beam is firing. Continuous movement is provided between the part and the laser beam while continuously firing the laser beam, which repeatably pulses between relatively constant periods, on a laser shock peening surface of the part. Using a laser beam with sufficient power to vaporize the ablative medium so that the pulses form laser beam spots on the surface and a region having deep compressive residual stresses imparted by the laser shock peening process extending into the part from the surface.

Adhesive tape covered laser shock peening

A method of laser shock peening a metallic part by firing a laser on a laser shock peening surface of the part which has been adhesively covered by tape having an ablative medium, preferably, a self adhering tape with an adhesive layer on one side of an ablative layer and a confinement medium without flowing a confinement curtain of fluid over the surface upon which the laser beam is firing. Continuous movement is provided between the part and the laser beam while continuously firing the laser beam, which repeatably pulses between relatively constant periods, on a laser shock peening surface of the part. Using a laser beam with sufficient power to vaporize the ablative medium so that the pulses form laser beam spots on the surface and a region having deep compressive residual stresses imparted by the laser shock peening process extending into the part from the surface. The confinement medium may be supplied by a single layer of tape having a clear layer over the ablative layer or a thicker lap or thickness of laps of a tape with just an ablative layer wherein the extra thickness provides the confinement medium.

Dry tape covered laser shock peening

Gas turbine engine blade with a metallic airfoil having a radially outer tip extending chordwise between a leading edge and a trailing edge and at least one laser shock peened surface extending radially along at least a portion of the tip and a region having deep compressive residual stresses imparted by laser shock peening (LSP) extending into the airfoil from the laser shock peened surface.

Laser shock peened gas turbine engine blade tip

Gas turbine engine fan blade with a metallic airfoil having a leading edge, a trailing edge, and a radially outer tip, and at least one laser shock peened surface located along the leading edge with a region having deep compressive residual stresses imparted by laser shock peening (LSP) extending into the airfoil from the laser shock peened surface.

Laser shock peened gas turbine engine fan blade edges

Turbomachinery rotor components having a metallic body with at least a portion of the body subject to a tensile stress field due to centrifugal and thermal growth induced forces generated by the rotor when the rotor is rotating, at least one stress riser in the stress field portion that causes stress concentration when the rotor is rotating, and at least one region of the component around the stress riser having deep compressive residual stresses imparted by laser shock peening (LSP).

Growing community of inventors

Cincinnati, OH, United States of America

Albert E McDaniel