Automated peening

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11498183-B2
Application number	US-202017125255-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 17, 2020
Priority date	Jan 10, 2020
Publication date	Nov 15, 2022
Grant date	Nov 15, 2022

Abstract

An automated peening method comprising: providing, adjacent a surface of a workpiece, a robotic arm having a peening tool attached thereto; defining a peening area of the surface of the workpiece; calculating a peening path for the peening tool over the peening area, the peening path substantially covering the peening area and comprising a sequence of movement patterns, wherein a geometric variable of one or more of the movement patterns is modified using an output of a random number generator; and controlling the robotic arm to move the peening tool over the surface of the workpiece to follow the peening path.

First claim

We claim:

1. An automated peening method comprising the steps of:
providing, adjacent a surface of a workpiece, a robotic arm having a peening tool attached thereto;
defining a peening area of the surface of the workpiece;
calculating a peening path for the peening tool over the peening area, the peening path substantially covering the peening area and comprising a sequence of movement patterns, wherein a geometric variable of one or more of the movement patterns is modified using an output of a random number generator, wherein each movement pattern comprises one or more legs, wherein the geometrical variable of a curved leg of the one or more legs modified using the output of the random number generator is a radius of curvature; and
controlling the robotic arm to move the peening tool over the surface of the workpiece to follow the peening path.

2. The automated peening method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
indicating a point on the surface of the workpiece;
centering the peening area on the indicated point; and
setting an initial peening point based on the indicated point.

3. The automated peening method according to claim 2 , wherein the step of indicating a point on the surface of the workpiece comprises directing a point of laser light onto the surface of the workpiece.

4. The automated peening method according to claim 2 , wherein the peening path comprises multiple returning passes over the surface, each returning pass comprising a forward section corresponding to cumulative travel of the peening tool along a first vector over the surface, and a return section corresponding to cumulative travel of the peening tool along a second vector over the surface, the second vector being opposite the first vector.

5. The automated peening method according to claim 4 , wherein the forward section comprises a repeating sequence of a first movement pattern and the return section comprises a repeating sequence of a second movement pattern.

6. The automated peening method according to claim 5 , wherein the second movement pattern corresponds to the first movement pattern inverted about an axis parallel to the first and second vectors.

7. The automated peening method according to claim 1 , wherein one or more of the movement patterns comprises a spiral.

8. The automated peening method according to claim 1 , wherein the curved leg of the one or more legs is a first leg of the one or more legs, wherein the geometric variable of a second leg of the one or more legs modified using the output of the random number generator is a linear displacement between a waypoint of the movement pattern and a preceding waypoint of the movement pattern, or of a previous movement pattern.

9. The automated peening method according to claim 1 , wherein the peening tool is a flapper peening tool or a needle peening tool.

10. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a controller of a robotic arm having a peening tool attached thereto, cause performance of an automated peening method comprising the steps of:
providing, adjacent a surface of a workpiece, a robotic arm having a peening tool attached thereto;
defining a peening area of the surface of the workpiece;
calculating a peening path for the peening tool over the peening area, the peening path substantially covering the peening area and comprising a sequence of movement patterns, wherein a geometric variable of one or more of the movement patterns is modified using an output of a random number generator, wherein each movement pattern comprises one or more legs, wherein the geometrical variable is a radius of curvature of a curved leg; and
controlling the robotic arm to move the peening tool over the surface of the workpiece to follow the peening path.

Assignees

• Rolls Royce Plc

Inventors

• Keedwell Max B
• Pena Castillo Diego A

Classifications

• B24C1/10

  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

• B23Q15/007

  while the tool acts upon the workpiece · CPC title

• B24B39/006

  Peening and tools therefor · CPC title

• B24B51/00 Primary

  Arrangements for automatic control of a series of individual steps in grinding a workpiece (if applicable to other machine tools, G05B takes precedence) · CPC title

• G05B19/19

  characterised by positioning or contouring control systems, e.g. to control position from one programmed point to another or to control movement along a programmed continuous path · CPC title