Pre-loading of components during laser peenforming

1. Field of the Invention A method and apparatus are provided for forming shapes and contours in metal sections by prestressing a workpiece and generating laser induced compressive stress on the surface of the metal workpiece. The step of prestressing the workpiece is carried out with a jig. The las...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors Hackel, Lloyd A, Halpin, John M, Harris, Fritz B
Format Patent
LanguageEnglish
Published 30.12.2003
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Summary:1. Field of the Invention A method and apparatus are provided for forming shapes and contours in metal sections by prestressing a workpiece and generating laser induced compressive stress on the surface of the metal workpiece. The step of prestressing the workpiece is carried out with a jig. The laser process can generate deep compressive stresses to shape even thick components without inducing unwanted tensile stress at the metal surface. The precision of the laser-induced stress enables exact prediction and subsequent contouring of parts.