Dual sided shot peening of BLISK airfoils

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11298799-B2
Application number	US-201815969914-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 3, 2018
Priority date	May 3, 2018
Publication date	Apr 12, 2022
Grant date	Apr 12, 2022

Abstract

Dual sided shot peening system includes pressurized air supply in communication with independently controllable first and second air pressure regulators in communication with first and second shot supplies and independently controlled first and second shot flow control valves disposed between first and second nozzles and the shot supplies. Computer may be in control of regulators and valves. Nozzle supports may fixedly or movably support nozzles during shot peening. The system may be used for simultaneously shot peening first and second sides of a portion of a workpiece such as airfoils of a BLISK. First and second streams from first and second nozzles may have different properties and may be varied during shot peening.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A dual sided shot peening system, comprising:
a workpiece, the workpiece being a BLISK with airfoils;
a computer;
a first shot peening air pressure regulator and a second shot peening air pressure regulator, the first and second shot peening air pressure regulators being coupled to the computer, the first and second shot peening air pressure regulators being separate and independently controllable by the computer;
a pressurized air supply in pressurized air supply communication with the first and second shot peening air pressure regulators,
a first shot supply and a second shot supply, the first and second shot peening air pressure regulators in pressurized air supply communication with the first and second shot supplies respectively,
a first nozzle and a second nozzle being separate and controlled independently of each other; and
a first shot flow control valve and a second shot flow control valve, the first and second shot flow control valves being coupled to the computer, the first and second shot flow control valves being separate and independently controllable by the computer, the first shot flow control valve operably disposed between the first shot supply and the first nozzle, and the second shot flow control valve operably disposed between the second shot supply and the second nozzle,
a manipulator configured for supporting the BLISK, the manipulator configured for positioning opposite pressure and suction sides of the airfoil between the first and second nozzles during shot peening by the first and second nozzles, and the computer controllably connected to the manipulator;
wherein the first nozzle defines a first stream during operation and wherein the second nozzle defines a second stream during operation, and wherein the computer is configured to set different first and second intensities of first and second streams from the first and second nozzles to provide different first and second coverage rates for simultaneously shot peening the pressure and suction sides respectively of the airfoils so as to manage movement of the airfoils during the shot peening.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising first and second nozzle supports supporting the first and second nozzles respectively and configured for fixedly or movably supporting the nozzles during shot peening.

3. The system as claimed in claim 2 , further comprising first and second shot flow lines from the first and second shot flow control valves to the first and second nozzles and first and second booster lines from the first and second shot peening air pressure regulators to the first and second shot flow lines respectively.

4. The system as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the first nozzle defines a first longitudinal axis and a first lengthwise direction, wherein the second nozzle defines a second longitudinal axis and a second lengthwise direction, and wherein the system further comprises the first and second nozzle supports being movable and operable to linearly move the first and second nozzles towards and away from each other and/or rotate or pivot the first and second nozzles, and/or translate the first and second nozzles along the first and second longitudinal axes in the first and second lengthwise directions, corresponding to first and second lengths of the first and second nozzles respectively.

5. The system as claimed in claim 4 , further comprising first and second shot flow lines from the first and second shot flow control valves to the first and second nozzles and first and second booster lines from the first and second shot peening air pressure regulators to the first and second shot flow lines respectively.

6. The system as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the computer is configured to set and vary further properties of first and second streams from the first and second nozzles for simultaneously shot peening the pressure and suction sides respectively of the airfoils.

7. The system as claimed in claim 6 , further comprising the further properties selected from the group consisting of shot media flow rate, impingement angle of media or shot stream exiting the nozzle with respect to a normal vector from an airfoil surface, distance of a nozzle exit relative to the airfoil surface, and position of the nozzle relative to leading and/or trailing edges of the airfoil, position of the nozzle relative to adjacent airfoils, and peen time.

8. The system as claimed in claim 6 , further comprising first and second shot flow lines from the first and second shot flow control valves to the first and second nozzles and first and second booster lines from the first and second shot peening air pressure regulators to the first and second shot flow lines respectively.

9. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first nozzle defines a first longitudinal axis and a first lengthwise direction, wherein the second nozzle defines a second longitudinal axis and a second lengthwise direction, and wherein the system further comprises first and second nozzles supports that translate the first and second nozzles along the first and second longitudinal axes in the first and second lengthwise directions, corresponding to first and second lengths of the first and second nozzles respectively.

10. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first nozzle defines a first longitudinal axis and a first lengthwise direction, wherein the second nozzle defines a second longitudinal axis and a second lengthwise direction, and wherein the system further comprises first and second nozzle supports being movable and operable to linearly move the first and second nozzles towards and away from each other and rotate the first and second nozzles.

11. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the system further comprises first and second nozzle supports being independently movable and operable to linearly move the first and second nozzles towards and away from each other.

12. The system as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising first and second shot flow lines from the first and second shot flow control valves to the first and second nozzles and first and second booster lines from the first and second shot peening air pressure regulators to the first and second shot flow lines respectively.

13. A method for simultaneously shot peening pressure and suction sides of a BLISK with airfoils comprising:
supporting and moving the BLISK with a manipulator and using the manipulator to position the airfoils between a first nozzle and a second nozzle during shot peening by the first and second nozzles,
shot peening with a dual sided shot peening system including a pressurized air supply in pressurized air supply communication with separate and independently controllable first and second shot peening air pressure regulators, the first and second shot peening air pressure regulators being coupled to a computer and in pressurized air supply communication with first and second shot supplies respectively, and separate and independently controlled first and second shot flow control valves being coupled to the computer and operably disposed between the first and second shot supplies and the first and second nozzles respectively, wherein shot peening comprises:
supplying pressurized air from the pressurized air supply to the first and second shot peening air pressure regulators;
metering first and second shot media in first and second shot supplies into first and second streams of the first and second shot media by flowing pressurized aft from the first and second shot peening air pressure regulators into the first and second shot supplies respectively;
flowing the first and second streams of the first and

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Brand Terrance Alan

Classifications

• B24C7/0053

  with control of feed parameters, e.g. feed rate of abrasive material or carrier · CPC title

• B24C1/10 Primary

  for compacting surfaces, e.g. shot-peening (for deforming sheet metal, tubes or profiles B21D31/06; as a metallurgical treatment C21D7/00, C22F1/00) · CPC title

• B24C7/0046

  the abrasive material being fed in a gaseous carrier · CPC title

• B24C3/32

  designed for abrasive blasting of particular work, e.g. the internal surfaces of cylinder blocks (B24C3/08, B24C3/18 take precedence) · CPC title

• B24C5/04

  Nozzles therefor (nozzles in general B05B) · CPC title