Laser Shock Peening treatment for claustrated surfaces – ForgeLaser

The ForgeLaser project concerns breakthrough research on laser shock peening. This process consists in generating high pressure shocks (Gpa) with laser produced plasmas (ns / GW / cm2). To increase the efficiency of the interaction, it is confined by a transparent medium to laser radiation which is currently water. In response to the propagation of the shock waves, residual compressive stresses are generated to improve the properties of treated parts. In preventive or curative treatments, it is considered as the only alternative to extend the life of aircraft structure. However, it is still necessary to remove certain technological and scientific issues to industrialize the process in these new configurations. They concern the replacement of the confinement water by solid media, the response of the structure to lot of local residual stresses fields, the transport of laser beam on cleaved surfaces. The project aims to avercome the associated scientific and technological challenges by focusing on the whole problem: confined matter laser interaction with polymers and small tasks, flexible optical fiber transport, complete numerical simulation of the process for predictive approaches on stresses fields generation and their impact at the scale of the structures. ForgeLaser will address all scientific issues using highly innovative numerical and experimental approaches to the field. An effort will also be made on the development of technological bricks related to Laser, its transport and specific environments. At the end of the project, all the developments will be implemented for a demonstration on real parts at one of the project partners. The objective is also to prepare the deployment of a research and industrial sector. The consortium brings together interdisciplinary expertise: laser, plasma physics, mechanics, physico-chemistry of polymers, numerical methods. Face to worldwide industrial concurrents in progress due to french research advances, forgelaser want to create a credible alternative.