Method for surface stabilizing metal components

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for the strengthening of the surface of a structural component with the aid of laser shock processing in which a coating applied to a metallic surface of the component to be strengthened is decomposed with the aid of a laser beam provided by a processing laser through evaporation or pyrolysis under creation of a plasma in such a way that a shock wave induced by interaction of the plasma with the metallic surface deforms the surface plastically and with the laser shock processing being monitored by means of recording light emission values of the plasma. In accordance with the invention, the light emission values are recorded with the aid of a measuring laser in time-delayed fashion relative to the decomposition of the coating with the aid of the processing laser.

1 - 5 . (canceled) 
   
   
       6 . A method for strengthening a metallic surface of a component, the method comprising the steps:
 applying a coating to a metallic surface of a component;   decomposing the coating through one of evaporation and pyrolysis by means of a laser beam provided by a processing laser;   forming a plasma from the decomposing coating;   plastically deforming the metallic surface with a shock wave induced by interaction of the plasma and the metallic surface;   recording the light emission values of the plasma with the aid of a measuring laser, the light emission values being recorded in time-delayed fashion relative to the decomposition of the coating by the processing laser; and   whereby the surface strengthening of the metallic surface may be monitored.   
   
   
       7 . A method in accordance with  claim 6 , wherein the time delay between the decomposition of the coating and the recording of the light emission values is within the range from 5 nanoseconds to 50 nanoseconds. 
   
   
       8 . A method in accordance with  claim 6 , wherein:
 the processing laser is a pulsed laser that emits a processing pulse during the step of decomposing the coating;   the measuring laser is a pulsed laser that emits a measuring pulse during the step of recording the light emission values; and   the measuring pulse of the pulsed measuring laser occurs in time-delayed fashion relative to the processing pulse of the pulsed processing laser.   
   
   
       9 . A method in accordance with  claim 8 , wherein the time delay between the decomposition of the coating and the recording of the light emission values is within the range from 5 nanoseconds to 50 nanoseconds. 
   
   
       10 . A method in accordance with  claim 9 , wherein the time delay is about  10  nanoseconds. 
   
   
       11 . A method in accordance with  claim 6 , wherein the coating applied to the metallic surface comprises a carbon-containing varnish on an organic basis. 
   
   
       12 . A method in accordance with  claim 11 , wherein during the step of decomposing the coating, the carbon-containing varnish is decomposed through pyrolysis with the aid of the processing laser. 
   
   
       13 . A method in accordance with  claim 6 , wherein the coating applied to the metallic surface comprises one of a metallic film and a metallic foil. 
   
   
       14 . A method in accordance with  claim 13 , wherein the one of a metallic film and a metallic foil comprises one of an aluminum film and an aluminum foil. 
   
   
       15 . A method in accordance with  claim 13 , wherein during the step of decomposing the coating, the one of a metallic film and a metallic foil is decomposed through vaporization with the aid of the processing laser. 
   
   
       16 . A method for strengthening a surface of a component by laser shock processing, the method comprising:
 applying a coating to a metallic surface of the component to be strengthened;   decomposing the coating with the aid of a laser beam provided by a processing laser;   creating a plasma from the decomposing coating in such a way that a shock wave induced by interaction of the plasma with the metallic surface deforms the surface plastically; and   monitoring the laser shock processing through the recording of light emission values of the plasma, the light emission values of the plasma being recorded by a measuring laser in time-delayed fashion relative to the decomposition of the coating by the processing laser.   
   
   
       17 . A method in accordance with  claim 16 , wherein the step of monitoring includes a measuring pulse of a pulsed measuring laser, which monitoring step occurs in time-delayed fashion relative to the step of decomposing, which decomposing step uses a processing pulse of a pulsed processing laser. 
   
   
       18 . A method in accordance with  claim 17 , wherein the time delay between the decomposition of the coating and the recording of the light emission values is within the range from 5 nanoseconds to 50 nanoseconds. 
   
   
       19 . A method in accordance with  claim 16 , wherein the coating is formed of a carbon-containing varnish on an organic basis, and this coating is decomposed through pyrolysis by the processing laser. 
   
   
       20 . A method in accordance with  claim 16 , wherein the coating is formed of one of a metallic film and a metallic foil, and this coating is decomposed through vaporization by the processing laser. 
   
   
       21 . A method in accordance with  claim 20 , wherein the coating is formed of one of an aluminum film and an aluminum foil. 
   
   
       22 . A method for strengthening the surface of metallic structural components, the method comprising the steps:
 applying a coating to a surface of a metallic structural component;   decomposing the coating with a pulsed processing laser;   ionizing the decomposing coating to form a plasma;   plastically deforming the metallic surface with a shock wave induced by interaction of the plasma and the metallic surface;   recording the light emission values of the plasma afterglow by a pulsed measuring laser after the background radiation resulting from recombination radiation and bremsstrahlung following the generation of the plasma has substantially abated.   
   
   
       23 . A method in accordance with  claim 22 , wherein the step of ionizing includes electric excitation of atoms and molecules specific to the coating. 
   
   
       24 . A method in accordance with  claim 23 , wherein the coating is a carbon-containing varnish on an organic basis, the coating is decomposed via pyrolisis, and the step of ionizing includes preferred excitation of one of C 2  molecules, CH molecules and CH 2  molecules. 
   
   
       25 . A method in accordance with  claim 23 , wherein the coating is one of an aluminum film and an aluminum foil, the coating is decomposed via vaporization, and the step of ionizing includes preferred excitation of one of Al atoms or Al 2  molecules.