A Precise Laser Peen Micro-bending Process Based on Different Laser Shock Regions
Z.B. Shen, C.X. Gu, D. Zhang, X. Wang and H.X. Liu
Laser peen micro bending is a new flexible, contactless and non-thermal forming process. The influence of nanosecond laser pulses on aluminium has been investigated by overlapping laser peen micro bending with Nd-YAG laser. When laser pulses impact the free end, the middle position and the junction position, it can be regarded as roughing, semi-finishing and finishing in bending deformation. With laser focus position in the free end, a large downward bending deformation can be generated which can ensure the forming efficiency. With laser focus position in the middle position and the junction position, a small downward bending deformation can be generated which can ensure the forming accuracy. By adjusting the laser shock regions, this new process can be used to satisfy the forming efficiency and accuracy. Numerical studies were conducted to find out deformation behaviours under different laser shock regions.
Keywords: Nd:YAG laser, laser peen micro bending, bending deformation, forming efficiency, forming accuracy, shock regions, numerical simulation, finite element analysis (FEA)