Low plasticity burnishing (LPB) has been demonstrated to increase the damage tolerance of Ti6Al-4V fan blades by an order of magnitude. First stage Ti-6Al-4V fan blades were LPB processed using a conventional 4 -axis CNC machine tool. LPB dramatically improved surface finish with negligible blade distortion and produced compressive residual stresses of -690 MPa (-100 ksi) through the entire thickness of the blade leading edge. Fatigue testing demonstrated that the deep compression of LPB provided a 3X improvement in HCF endurance limit, complete tolerance of FOD up to 1.3 mm (0.050 in.) deep, and an order of magnitude improvement in fatigue life. Damage tolerance for the TI-6AL-4V fan blade was improved by an order of magnitude.The benefit of the LPB generated compressive layer in improving damage tolerance was confirmed using the fatigue crack growth code AFGROW. Crack growth modeling indicates tolerance of deeper FOD is achievable with optimization of the depth and magnitude of the residual stress field. LPB has been demonstrated to be an effective and affordable means of improving the damage tolerance of Titanium alloy fan and compressor blades. Application of LPB during manufacturing and overhaul operations could significantly reduce the cost of engine inspection and maintenance while improving fleet readiness.
Low Plasticity Burnishing (LPB) has been applied to produce a layer of deep high magnitude compressive residual stress in the leading edge of Ti-6Al-4V first stage fan blades. The goal was to improve damage tolerance from 0.13 to 0.5 mm (0.005 to 0.02 in.). LPB processing of the airfoil surface was performed on a conventional four-axis CNC mill. The LPB control system, tooling, and process are described. A zone of through-thickness compression on the order of -690 MPa (-100 ksi) was achieved extending 2.5 mm (0.10 in.) cord-wise from the leading edge and along the lower half of the blade from the platform to mid-span damper. Cantilever fatigue testing was performed at R=0.1 using FOD simulated by a 60 degree "V" notch. The processing provided complete tolerance of FOD up to nominally 1.3 mm (0.05 in.) in depth, an order of magnitude improvement in damage tolerance. The benefits of the deep layer of surface compression were confirmed through fatigue performance modeling.
Low plasticity burnishing (LPB) is a surface enhancement method that produces a deep layer of compressive residual stress with minimal cold working and an improved surface finish. Extensive fatigue testing, performed on numerous metal alloys in simulated environmental conditions, demonstrates that LPB significantly improves fatigue strength of highly stressed components. LPB is a flexible process, capable of being implemented on a wide variety of CNC machine tools. A product-specific LPB process was developed and applied to the modular neck taper junction of a Ti-6Al-4V total hip prosthesis (THP). LPB produced a compressive residual stress field with an improved surface finish, which enhanced component fatigue strength and resistance to fretting damage. X-ray diffraction (XRD) residual stress measurements, made before and after LPB application, are shown. High cycle fatigue (HCF) results obtained on LPB-processed hip stems are shown along with baseline data for unprocessed hip stems. HCF tests demonstrate complete elimination of fretting fatigue failures in the LPB processed area of the taper junction and a substantial increase in overall THP fatigue strength.
Austenitic alloy weldments in nuclear reactor systems are susceptible to stress corrosion cracking (SCC) failures. SCC has been observed for decades and continues to be a primary maintenance concern for both pressurized water and boiling water reactors. SCC can occur if the sum of residual stress and applied stress exceeds a critical threshold tensile stress. Residual stresses developed by prior machining and welding can accelerate or retard SCC depending on their sign and magnitude. The residual stress, cold work and yield strength distributions on the inside diameter of an Alloy 600 tube J-welded into a pressure vessel were determined by a combination of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and mechanical techniques. A new method was used to relate the XRD line broadening to the percent cold work or true plastic strain in the Alloy 600 tube. The accumulated cold work in the layers deformed by prior machining, in combination with the true stress-strain relationship for Alloy 600, was used to determine the increase in yield strength as a result of deformation due to machining and weld shrinkage. The yield strength of the deformed layer was found to be well in excess of the bulk yield for the alloy, and is therefore capable of supporting residual stresses correspondingly higher. Tension as high as +700 MPa, exceeding the SCC threshold stress, was observed in both the hoop and axial directions on the inside diameter of the Alloy 600 tubing adjacent to the weld heat affected zone (HAZ). The cold worked high tensile zones correlated with the locations of field SCC failures. The tensile residual stresses are shown to result from a combination of the high cold working from initial machining followed by weld shrinkage. The development of surface tension during weld shrinkage has been modeled using finite element methods, and the benefits of minimizing or removing the cold worked layer prior to welding are demonstrated. Further laboratory studies showing the influence of prior cold working on the formation of residual stresses following bulk plastic deformation are presented.
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