Fluid-Guided Laser Peening Head for Non-Planar Surfaces
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Solution Overview
Problem
Laser peening on non-planar surfaces is complex due to the need for precise focusing and significant water usage, which is costly and cumbersome, especially when water blankets are required for inertial confinement.
Innovation Solution
A delivery device that emits a columnar flow of fluid with a high total internal reflectivity, allowing the laser beam to be contained and focused within the fluid flow, eliminating the need for a water blanket and enabling flexible positioning for laser peening on non-planar surfaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a water blanket is used for inertial confinement during laser peening, then plasma pressure shock containment is improved, but water consumption and operational cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the essential function of the water blanket (plasma containment) and implements it through a different mechanism - using the laser beam itself to contain the plasma through controlled interaction with the workpiece surface, eliminating the need for large quantities of water
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces an intermediary approach where the laser beam acts as both the processing tool and the plasma containment mechanism, rather than using water as a separate containment medium. The plasma is contained through the laser-workpiece interaction geometry itself
2Manufacturing precision
If the laser is focused onto a small area on the workpiece, then laser peening effectiveness is improved, but robotic laser manipulation system complexity increases for non-planar surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The invention employs dynamic focusing capabilities where the laser system can adjust its focal point and beam parameters in real-time based on the workpiece surface geometry, allowing precise focus on small areas while adapting to non-planar surfaces through controlled movement and parameter adjustment
Solution Approach 2:
The invention utilizes parameter changes in the laser system (beam width, focal length, pulse duration) to maintain precise focus on small areas while accommodating variations in workpiece geometry, reducing the need for complex robotic manipulation
3Reliability
If significant water is used to coat a large region of the workpiece, then plasma containment is improved, but water collection and removal becomes tedious and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes the water blanket component from the laser peening process entirely, using instead a controlled plasma confinement method that relies on the laser beam parameters and workpiece surface interaction, thereby eliminating water collection and removal operations
Solution Approach 2:
The laser peening system performs self-contained plasma management through its own beam parameters and interaction geometry, without requiring external water delivery and removal systems
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 fluid flow acts as both an optical conduit and a plasma containment mechanism, allowing for precise laser peening without the need for a water blanket, reducing operational costs and simplifying the robotic manipulation system, while maintaining the laser's focus over varying distances.
Implementation Method 1
The beam is retained within the interior of the flow of fluid since the total internal reflectivity of the flow is sufficient to do so
Implementation Method 2
it is also possible to perform laser peening without an ablative layer by ablating the surface of the workpiece itself under a covering of water
Implementation Method 3
The laser peening operation results in the aforementioned plasma pressure shock wave. The shock wave emanates from the location on the workpiece where the laser peening operation is being performed
Data Source
AI summary
A delivery device that is usable in a laser peening operation emits a columnar flow of a fluid that contains therein a beam of electromagnetic energy. The beam is retained within the interior of the flow of fluid since the total internal reflectivity of the flow is sufficient to do so. The flow of fluid that serves as a conduit for the beam also itself impinges on a workpiece and thus contains and washes away the plasma that forms from a laser peening operation, and this resists the plasma from reaching and possibly damaging the delivery device. The carrying of the beam in the columnar flow of fluid avoids the need to maintain a fixed distance between the delivery device and the workpiece, which simplifies the movement by a robotic manipulator of the delivery device along a non-planar surface of a workpiece during a laser peening operation.