Laser Shock Peening with Acoustic Emission In-Situ Monitoring for Quality Control

Laser Shock Peening (LSP) is increasingly employed across various industrial sectors, particularly in safety-critical applications where extending structural integrity and lifespan is paramount. This work investigates the influence of varying laser energies and confinement layers on the LSP process. Understanding these parameter variations is crucial for precise process control. To gain deeper insights into the process dynamics from an in-situ, non-destructive testing (NDT) perspective, acoustic bursts will be considered and measured. Acoustic Emission (AE) is a method that uses piezo-electric material to determine the level of emitted elastic waves from the source where transients in the form of displacement within piezo-electric crystalline structure (either in a tensile or compressive manner) provide a quantitative voltage for decerning different measurements. Most current testing methods use destructive tests with coupon parts; this process however directly measures the material state in question and is non-destructive in nature. Post-LSP, additional NDT techniques are utilised to characterise material modifications in terms of residual stress and hardness. This research aims to enhance material understanding, complemented by destructive testing for residual stress and microstructure analysis, and to lay the foundation for advanced algorithms and digital modelling for robust real-time, quality control in LSP.