Papers by Author: Koichi Akita

Abstract: Laser peening without protective coating (LPwC) has been applied to metallic materials using low energy pulses of a Q-switched and frequency-doubled Nd:YAG laser. Compressive residual stresses of several hundred megapascals were imparted on the surface of the materials. Redistribution of the residual stress in the top surface due to thermal loading was evaluated non-destructively by synchrotron radiation of SPring-8. Accelerating stress corrosion cracking (SCC) tests showed that LPwC prohibited SCC of sensitized materials. LPwC largely prolonged the fatigue lives of titanium alloys, aluminum alloys and austenitic stainless steels.

Abstract: In order to investigate effects of low energy laser peening (LP) without protective coating on surface fatigue crack growth behavior, rotating bending fatigue tests were carried out on cast Al-Si-Mg aluminum alloy with a pre-cracked round bar type specimens. As the results, the fatigue crack growth was restrained by the compressive residual stress induced by laser peening treatment. And also, the three dimensional (3D) image of surface fatigue cracks was reconstructed by using a micro computed tomography (μCT) with phase contrast technique. It was also shown that the surface crack growth was restrained for the laser peened materials.

Abstract: An engineering diffractometer designed to solve many problems in materials science and engineering including investigations of stresses and crystallographic structures within engineering components is now being developed at J-PARC project. This instrument views a decoupled-poisoned liquid H2 moderator providing neutrons with good symmetrical diffraction profiles in the acceptable wavelength range. The primary flight path and the secondary flight path are 40 m and 2.0 m, respectively, for 90 degree scattering detector banks. A curved supermirror neutron guide will be installed to avoid intensity loss due to the long flight path and to reduce backgrounds from fast neutrons and gamma rays. Therefore, stress measurements with sufficient accuracies in many engineering studies are quite promising. The optimization of this instrument has been performed with a Monte Carlo simulation, and an appropriate resolution of less than 0.2 % in
d/d has been confirmed. A prototyped radial collimator to define a gauge width of 1 mm has been designed and manufactured. From performance tests conducted at the neutron diffractometer for residual stress analysis RESA in JRR-3 of Japan Atomic Energy Agency, the normal distribution with a full width at half maximum of 1 mm was obtained in a good agreement with the simulation.

Abstract: Laser peening has been applied to silicon nitride (Si3N4) ceramics without any pre-coating. X-ray diffraction study revealed that plastic strain was introduced into the surface layer of the ceramics. Compressive residual stress was also imparted, which became larger with increasing peak power density of irradiated laser pulses. Surface roughness significantly increased due to ablative interaction of the surface with laser pulses. A Weibull plot of four-point bending test results clearly showed the increase of the bending strength and Weibull modulus by laser peening in spite of the increase of the surface roughness.

Abstract: Residual stress induced by laser single pulse irradiation was analyzed using a dynamic finite element code, ABAQUS/Explicit. The effects of the magnitude and length of a surface pressure pulse having a circular top-hat shape on the final residual stress in Ti-6Al-4V were investigated. A high peak pressure and/or a long pulse duration was effective in generating large compressive residual stress deep beneath the surface. However, large tensile residual stress features occurred near the centre and edge of the laser spot on the surface for high pressure and/or long pulse durations due to a radial focusing effect. Use of shorter pulse durations avoided this. The peak pressure (3GPa) required to induce a surface compressive residual stress across the whole area of the spot was slightly higher than the threshold pressure needed to plastically deform the surface.

Abstract: Microscopic residual stress distribution on laser-irradiated materials was measured using a synchrotron radiation source. Intense laser pulses were irradiated in water to high tensile strength steel and austenitic stainless steel without any surface coating. Residual stress was measured in a laser-irradiated spot (0D), line (1D) and area (2D) on the materials in order to clarify the evolution process of residual stress. Tensile residual stresses were observed in the laser single pulse irradiated spot (0D). In the line (1D) and area (2D) irradiation, however, the tensile residual stress gradually changed into compressive side as the density of irradiated laser pulses increased. In case of laser irradiation in water, resulting residual stress is considered to be the sum of a tensile stress component by thermal effect and a compressive one by plastic deformation due to shock wave. The tensile stress component remains constant even if the laser pulse density increases, because the thermal effect may be reset every pulse, whereas the compressive stress component increases with laser pulse density, until the saturation of plastic deformation. As a result, the surface residual stress changes into compression with increasing the laser pulse density.