Laser Peening

Abstract

Curtiss-Wright Surface Technologies (CWST) offers a single source solution and point of contact for all your surface treatments. We can reduce your turnaround times and costs through our network of over 75 worldwide facilities. Our proven surface treatments meet industry demands for lighter materials, improved performance and life extension in key markets such as Aerospace, Automotive, Energy and Medical. We can prevent premature failures due to fatigue, corrosion, wear, galling and fretting. Surface Technologies is a Division of Curtiss-Wright (NYSE:CW) a global innovative company that delivers highly engineered, critical function products and services to the commercial, industrial, defense and energy markets. Building on the heritage of Glenn Curtiss and the Wright brothers, Curtiss-Wright has a long tradition of providing reliable solutions through trusted customer relationships. Laser peening induces exceptionally deep residual compressive stresses to increase the fatigue strength and lifetime of metallic components. The technology surgically places residual compressive stress with accuracies in the range of 0.1 mm into key component areas to retard crack initiation and growth and improve fatigue lifetime and resistance to stress corrosion cracking. Laser peening will reduce erosion of components such as gas and steam turbine blades from water droplet impact and provides similar protection against cavitation erosion in marine and fluid flow applications. Laser peen forming performs the same generic role as shot peen forming but because of the greater depth of plastic deformation, extends the degree of curvatures and stretch, enabling more fuel efficient profiles such as high-speed machined/integrally stiffened panels (>25 mm thickness) to be shaped in multiple dimensions. The process is also used to correct the shape of components previously scrapped because they did not meet critical dimensional tolerances. Potential applications have also emerged for automotive, nuclear waste storage, petroleum drilling and medical implants.