Laser light irradiation apparatus and laser peening treatment method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016288258-A1
Application number	US-201615080866-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 25, 2016
Priority date	Apr 3, 2015
Publication date	Oct 6, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

An embodiment is to provide a laser light irradiation apparatus and a laser peening treatment method, by which even a member to be processed, existing in a narrow portion, can be easily processed by laser peening. The laser light irradiation apparatus 1 according to the embodiment includes: an optical fiber 2 through which laser light is guided; a condensing lens 3 that is placed on one end of the optical fiber, the condensing lens and the optical fiber defining the light path of the laser light; a guide 4 that retains the optical fiber; and a movement mechanism 5 for changing the position of the optical fiber, wherein the light path of the laser light guided through the optical fiber is emitted at an angle changed to more than 0° and less than 90° with respect to the central axis of the optical fiber by the condensing lens.

First claim

1 . A laser light irradiation apparatus, comprising:
an optical fiber through which laser light is guided; a condensing lens that is placed on one end of said optical fiber, said condensing lens and said optical fiber defining a light path of said laser light; a guide that retains said optical fiber; and a movement mechanism for changing a position of said optical fiber, wherein the light path of said laser light guided through said optical fiber is emitted at an angle changed to more than 0° and less than 90° with respect to a central axis of said optical fiber by said condensing lens.

2 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
said condensing lens is a part of an optical lens having a diameter larger than a diameter of a core of said optical fiber; and said central axis of said optical fiber and an optical axis of said optical lens do not correspond with each other.

3 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
an end face, closer to said condensing lens, of said optical fiber is cut obliquely with respect to the central axis of said optical fiber.

4 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
said optical fiber and said condensing lens are joined to each other via an optical fiber lens.

5 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
an end face, closer to said condensing lens, of said optical fiber is cut concavely.

6 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a positioning mechanism which determines a position of said condensing lens so that a distance between said condensing lens and a portion to be processed, irradiated with said laser light, is a predetermined distance.

7 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a liquid ejection mechanism which ejects a liquid toward a portion to be processed, irradiated with said laser light.

8 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
said guide comprises a liquid passage into which a liquid flows, and is configured to guide a liquid, supplied from a liquid supply mechanism, to a portion to be processed, irradiated with said laser light.

9 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a detector which can detect a moving amount of said guide; and a processing position calculation mechanism which calculates a position of a portion to be processed, irradiated with said laser light, based on the moving amount of said guide detected by said detector.

10 . A laser peening treatment method, comprising:
performing processing by irradiating a member to be treated, existing in water, with said laser light using said laser light irradiation apparatus according to claim 1 .

11 . The method according to claim 10 , wherein
said member to be treated is a member included in a nuclear reactor.

Assignees

• Toshiba Kk

Inventors

• Nomura Kota
• Chida Itaru
• Shiihara Katsunori
• Ichikawa Hiroya

Classifications

• G02B6/3624

  Fibre head, e.g. fibre probe termination (optical details of light guide terminations G02B6/241; reshaping of light guides G02B6/2552; optical details of coupling light into or out of fibre end G02B6/262) · CPC title

• B23K26/0648 Primary

  comprising lenses · CPC title

• B23K26/356

  by shock processing · CPC title

• H01S3/067 Primary

  Fibre lasers · CPC title

• B23K26/352

  for surface treatment · CPC title