General Electric Company

Wayne Lee Lawrence

Paul Michael Perozek

Richard Eugene Klaassen

Mark Samuel Bailey

Michael L Dziech

Joseph Anthony Traxler

A method and system for inspecting components, such as a rotating component of a turbomachines having one or more slots along a perimeter thereof. The method entails mounting to a robotic apparatus a probe assembly that includes a holder assembly to which a probe tip is mounted, an eddy current coil within the probe tip and adjacent a first face thereof, a touch probe contact located at a second face of the probe tip, an element for enabling relative movement between the probe tip and holder assembly, and an element for biasing the probe tip relative to the holder assembly in a direction parallel to the movement. The probe tip is then placed in a slot and caused to travel along the surface of the slot to electromagnetically inspect the slot for cracks in its surface while the first face of the probe tip is maintained in contact with a slot surface.

Nondestructive robotic inspection method and system therefor

A continuous motion laser shock peening apparatus and method for laser shock peening a workpiece. A laser controller modulates and fires a laser beam from a laser unit. A motion controller is controllably connected to a manipulator and to the laser controller to fire the laser beam based on axis position feedback from a speed control of the motion controller. The laser controller has a standby mode for flashing a laser flash lamp at a flash rate without triggering the laser beam and a firing mode that triggers and fires the laser beam in laser beam pulses. The laser controller includes a synchronizing means for synchronizing a triggering signal provided to the laser interface controller by the computerized motion controller to fire the laser beam pulses and the flash rate substantially at a time when the laser beam pulses are to be generated.

Continuous motion laser shock peening

An on-the-fly analog switching method and system for providing a switching time of less than one second between energy levels and laser heads for laser shock peening applications. An analog switch is used with variable resistance devices that produce a switching time of less than one second. One advantage of the present invention is that a switching time of less than one second is provided which provides for an energy and time efficient system. The laser shock peening process is never delayed for switching purposes as the switching occurs during the standard pause between treated linear areas.

System and method for controlling the power level of a laser apparatus in a laser shock peening process

A laser shock peening apparatus includes a laser unit for generating at least one laser beam aimed at a laser shock peening area and an anti-feedback means for preventing electromagnetic radiation reflections from the target area from entering the laser unit during laser shock peening and the anti-feedback means is located between the laser unit and a final focusing lens. The anti-feedback means may include an optical isolator at an output of the laser unit such as a faraday isolator. Alternative optical isolators may include thin film polarizers, glan prism polarizers, independent pig tailed optical isolators, mirrors with enhanced P or S polarization coatings. The laser unit may include an oscillator and a final amplifier and the output of the laser unit located after the final amplifier.

Reducing electromagnetic feedback during laser shock peening

A laser unit includes a laser beam source for generating a laser beam along a laser beam centerline. A beam tube surrounds at least a portion of the beam centerline. A beam aperture is located at an exit of the tube. A final beam optical lens is mounted within the tube upstream of the aperture. A gas purging means flows purge gas into the tube between the lens and the aperture. A converging section of the tube is located between the lens and the aperture. At least one telescoping section in the tube is located between the lens and the aperture in the converging section of the tube. The lens has a focal number less than 8 and may be less than 7 and down to about 5. A gas knife located between the aperture and the focal point of the lens is used for flowing a large volume of clearing gas across the laser beam between the aperture and the focal point.

Reduced mist laser shock peening

A method for setting up a transparent confinement media nozzle for flowing the confinement media during laser shock peening of a work piece includes the following steps: Step A) flowing a confinement media and setting a flow rate of the confinement media through a confinement media flow nozzle; Step B) positioning the nozzle to flow the confinement media through the nozzle and onto the correlation surface; and Step C) measuring a confinement media layer thickness on the correlation surface using an ultrasonic transducer attached to a side of the test piece opposite that of the correlation surface. The ultrasonic transducer is attached to a side of the test piece opposite that of the correlation surface. One embodiment of the invention employs the work piece as the test piece and the correlation surface is a first laser shock peening surface on a first side of the work piece. Further embodiments includes Step D) comparing the measured and recorded confinement media layer thickness from Step C) against a predetermined value or range of values for confinement media layer thickness and Step E) determining whether to reset the confinement media flow rate and/or nozzle position or proceeding with the laser shock peening of the work piece with the confinement media flow rate and nozzle position set in

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Sardinia, OH, United States of America

Wayne Lee Lawrence