Laser-Cleaned Bond Coat Sequencing Before Shot Peening

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Solution Overview

Problem

Contaminants such as oxides and smut can form on the surface of gas turbine engine components during the coating process, which can be embedded during shot peening, adversely affecting coating performance and part life.

Innovation Solution

A method involving laser treatment to remove contaminants followed by shot peening in a clean environment, with the laser treatment and shot peening conducted closely together to prevent re-contamination, ensuring a clean and flat surface for applying a ceramic coat.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Strength

If shot peening is performed to densify the coating and create a smooth surface, then coating durability and surface quality are improved, but contaminants on the surface are embedded into the coating, adversely affecting coating performance and part life

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecoating durabilityVSAvoidcontaminant embedding
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies laser cleaning before shot peening to remove contaminants from the bond coat surface in advance. This preliminary action prevents contaminants from being embedded during the subsequent shot peening process, thereby maintaining coating durability while avoiding the harmful effect of contaminant embedding.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses laser cleaning to extract and remove contaminants from the bond coat surface before shot peening. By taking out the contaminants in advance, the process prevents them from being embedded into the coating during shot peening, thus preserving coating performance and part life.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Reliability

If laser treatment is applied to remove contaminants before shot peening, then coating performance is improved, but additional process steps and time are required

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecoating performanceVSAvoidprocess time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements laser cleaning and shot peening as continuous sequential operations without intermediate handling or exposure to contaminating environments. This continuous process minimizes the time the part is vulnerable to re-contamination and ensures that the cleaning benefit is maintained through to the shot peening step, improving coating performance while managing process time efficiently.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #20Continuity of useful action

3Ease of manufacture

If the part is exposed to air or vacuum furnace environment between coating and shot peening, then standard processing is simplified, but contaminants such as oxides and smut are deposited on the coating surface

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprocessing simplicityVSAvoidsurface contamination
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs laser cleaning and shot peening in a controlled clean environment that protects the bond coat surface from exposure to air or vacuum furnace contaminants. This controlled environment prevents oxide and smut deposition while maintaining manufacturing feasibility, thus resolving the contradiction between processing simplicity and surface contamination prevention.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #39Inert atmosphere (Inert environment)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The method effectively removes contaminants without embedding them, resulting in a durable and high-quality ceramic coating with improved performance and longevity.

Implementation Method 1

laser treating the surface to remove the contaminants and to produce a cleaned surface on the bond coat

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectLaser ablation: Laser Ablation

Data Source

PatentEP4678782A1Laser clean after diffusion heat treat and prior to shot peen
Publication Date: 2026.01.14 RTX CORP
  • EP4678782A1 patent drawingFigure 1a~1e
  • EP4678782A1 patent drawingFigure 2~7
  • EP4678782A1 patent drawingFigure 8~10

AI summary

A method for coating a component of a gas turbine engine includes providing the component having a bond coat and contaminants on a surface of the bond coat; laser treating the surface to remove the contaminants and to produce a cleaned surface on the bond coat; peening the cleaned surface to produce a peened surface on the bond coat, and applying a ceramic coat to the peened surface.