WO2002030619A1

WO2002030619A1 - Peening method and machine therefor

Info

Publication number: WO2002030619A1
Application number: PCT/FR2001/003140
Authority: WO
Inventors: Patrick Cheppe; Jean-Michel Duchazeaubeneix
Original assignee: Sonats - Societe Des Nouvelles Applications Des Techniques De Surfaces
Priority date: 2000-10-12
Filing date: 2001-10-11
Publication date: 2002-04-18
Also published as: AU2002210634A1; FR2815281B1; FR2815281A1

Abstract

The invention concerns a method for peening a workpiece comprising at least a thin wall (12'') defining two opposite main faces, the square root of the surface of each face being greater than the average distance between two said faces by at least a factor five, preferably at least a factor ten. Said method consists in driving said workpiece at least intermittently in relative rotation with respect to one or several vibrating surfaces, at least one of the main faces being exposed to projectiles (6) driven by one or several said vibrating surfaces, the treatment being gradually carried out on said face(s) to introduce compressive stresses, by treating only part of the workpiece at one time and by exposing preferably several times the zones of the workpiece to the projectiles, with a relative rotation between said exposures.

Description

"Age process and machinery for the implementation of such a process"

The present invention relates to a shot peening process for metal parts and to a machine for implementing such a process.

Shot peening of metal parts is a well-known technique which consists in introducing compression constraints on the surface of a part by subjecting it to a bombardment of projectiles constituted by balls or microbeads. -

The permanent stresses induced in the part by such bombardment have the effect of opposing the appearance and propagation of cracks and thus make it possible to improve the fatigue resistance of the treated part.

It is known practice to blast a part by projecting projectiles towards the surface to be treated by means of a nozzle supplied with compressed gas.

This technique poses at least two problems when it is applied to thin walls such as the blades of aeronautical turbines.

On the one hand, the blades must be treated simultaneously on their two opposite faces to avoid any deformation which would significantly modify their geometry. 15. • On the other hand, it is difficult or even impossible to engage the nozzle between the blades if the latter are too close to each other.

In addition, it is difficult with this technique to precisely control the intensity of shot peening.

Insufficient blasting of the part has the disadvantage of not giving it the desired resistance, while excessive blasting causes irreversible degradation of the part and a reduction in its resistance, or even its disposal.

Shot peening is all the more difficult to control as the wall exposed to projectiles is thin and able to deform easily, which is the case in particular with most of the blades of the turbines. aeronautical. .

The invention aims to allow blasting with precision at least one thin wall.

It achieves this by a shot peening process of a part comprising at least one thin wall, in which a relative rotation is caused at least by

30 intermittence of said part with respect to one or more vibrating surfaces, the thin wall or walls each defining two opposite main faces, at least one of said main faces being exposed to projectiles such as balls or microbeads - I -

set in motion by means of one or more of said vibrating surfaces, the treatment being carried out progressively on the said face or faces to introduce compressive stresses, treating only part of the part at a time and preferably exposing it several times regions of the projectile part with a relative rotation between said exposures.

“Thin wall” is understood to mean, within the meaning of the present application, a wall defining two opposite main faces, the square root of the surface of each face being clearly greater, for example by a factor of at least five, preferably by a factor greater than ten and preferably still a factor of at least thirty, at the average distance between the two aforementioned faces.

We can cite various triplets (average height, average width, average thickness) corresponding to different types of aeronautical turbine blades constituting thin walls within the meaning of the invention, for example: (130; 210; 4), (50; 63 ; 1,3), (33; 40; 1), (170; 410; 4) the dimensions being in mm. For these triplets, the ratio of the square root of the surface to the thickness then takes respectively substantially the values: 41, 43, 36 and 66, which is clearly greater than thirty, or even greater than forty, or even even greater than sixty .

The average thickness of a thin wall is for example between 0.1 and 10 mm when this wall is an aeronautical turbine blade. The method according to the invention is advantageously implemented for treating a part comprising a plurality of thin walls distributed angularly on a support intended to be driven in rotation, and in particular for treating a one-piece bladed wheel or any other rotor having blades.

The use of one or more vibrating surfaces in the invention makes it possible to avoid the use of nozzles and makes it possible to _. adequately blast the blades even if the space between the blades is reduced.

The vibrating surface or surfaces are advantageously constituted by one or more sonotrodes.

In an exemplary implementation of the invention, an edge of the part to be treated is protected which may be damaged by the impacts of projectiles.

This protection can be carried out by means of at least one protection element attached to the part or placed on the machine. This protective element can extend directly into contact with the edge to be protected or be moved away from it.

In the first case, the protective element may include an end piece removably attached to the blade. In the second case, the protective element acts like a deflector, preferably being placed on the path of the projectiles between the vibrating or sonotrode surface and the edge to be protected.

This edge to be protected can be a sharp edge, for example a trailing edge or another edge, for example a flat present at the end of the blades on the side opposite to the support to which they are connected.

The treatment of the part can be carried out by driving it in rotation about a geometric axis of rotation and by successively exposing each thin wall to projectiles in a treatment chamber traversed by this thin wall.

Rotational training can be continuous or sequential. The method can be implemented using one or more treatment chambers.

Advantageously, the part is rotated so that each thin wall makes several passages in the same treatment chamber or successive passages in the different treatment chambers, preferably at least five passages.

When the thin wall has front and rear faces exposed successively to impacts during the rotation of the part, the fact of carrying out several turns or passages in the treatment chambers makes it possible to make the blasting more progressive and to use less projectiles energy. This reduces the risk of excessive deformation of the thin wall (s), while having after several turns or passages a satisfactory shot blasting.

Advantageously, the thin walls of the part to be treated are used to prevent the projectiles from leaving the treatment chamber (s).

The part to be treated can be rotated in this case sequentially, by interrupting the treatment during the rotation of the part to prevent the projectiles from escaping from the treatment chamber (s).

You can also use, to prevent or help prevent projectiles leave the treatment chamber (s), one or more jets of compressed gas, oriented so as to return the projectiles to the corresponding treatment chamber (s) and also oriented (preferably), so as to accelerate their back to a vibrating surface. The use of such compressed gas jets makes it possible to simplify the recovery of projectiles and to dispense with, if necessary, one or more passive recovery chambers.

Advantageously, when the vibrating surfaces are defined by sonotrodes and the part is driven in rotation sequentially, the supply of the sonotrodes is cut during the rotation of the part.

The sequential rotation drive, combined with the cutting off of the supply of the sonotrodes during the rotation of the part to be treated, makes it possible to avoid the use of passive projectile recovery chambers, in particular downstream of the chamber treatment. The excitation of the sonotrodes is advantageously controlled so as to increase the energy of the shot peening during the treatment.

It is thus possible to increase the intensity of the peening as the number of passages of the thin wall (s) in the treatment chamber (s) increases. This takes into account the fact that the more the part has been exposed to the impacts of projectiles, the harder its surface and the more energy it takes to introduce new compression stresses.

The workpiece can be driven along a geometric axis of vertical or horizontal or other rotation, in particular substantially parallel to an edge of the surface to be treated.

The advantage of driving in rotation about a vertical axis is to reduce the effect of projectiles being driven by thin walls out of the treatment chamber, since projectiles are less likely to be trapped between two thin walls. when the surface of the support to which they are connected is substantially vertical and the space between the thin walls at the level of the support opens directly downwards.

There are advantageously two vibrating surfaces respectively of on either side of the path traveled by the treated walls, in order to have a more homogeneous treatment.

The part comprising the thin wall or walls can also be placed in a single enclosure, which makes it possible to avoid the problems of loss of projectiles. Preferably, the treated part is rotated relative to the vibrating surface (s). As a variant, one or more vibrating surfaces are used which are moved in rotation relative to the thin wall (s), which are then fixed.

We can take advantage of the shot blasting treatment to mark the part by interposing a mask between one face of the part and the projectiles, this mask comprising openings corresponding to the mark to be produced.

Such a marking has the advantage of resisting chemical or thermal treatments which the part may subsequently undergo.

A mixture of beads or microbeads having different diameters and / or made of different materials can be used for shot peening, depending on the desired result.

Preferably, the two faces of the thin wall are treated almost or simultaneously, which makes it possible to compensate for the effects of the projectiles striking one of the faces by the effects of the projectiles striking the other face.

One can also treat only one of the two faces of the thin wall at a time.

In this case, preferably, the thin wall is turned over at the end of the treatment of one of its two faces to treat the other face.

In a particular implementation of the invention, the thin wall to be treated is inserted between two mobile drawers, each of the drawers being able to be moved between a retracted position and a closed position, the drawer located on the side opposite the vibrating surface by relative to the thin wall being in the closed position to close the treatment chamber and the drawer located on the side of the vibrating surface being in the retracted position to allow the projectiles to rebound on the vibrating surface.

After treating one side of the thin wall, the part is turned over with the drawers. The vibrating surface remains fixed and the drawer previously in the closed position is retracted and vice versa.

In an implementation of the invention, an annular-shaped part is treated comprising a plurality of blades constituting thin walls. This part is rotated about an axis which is preferably vertical. The part is preferably treated by means of two sonotrodes having substantially parallel and preferably vertical axes. The axes of these two sonotrodes are angularly offset around the axis of rotation of the treated part and the vibrating surfaces defined by these two sonotrodes are located respectively at the two ends of an interpale space. The part is preferably rotated at a chosen speed so that the difference in treatment between a face which arrives in the treatment zone and a face which leaves it remains negligible over the entire treatment. The part can be driven in rotation sequentially, the excitation of the sonotrodes being then interrupted during the rotation of the part.

Walls can be provided on either side of the blades to fill the voids existing between the edges of the blades and the sonotrodes.

The invention also relates to a machine for blasting a part comprising at least one thin wall defining two opposite main faces, the square root of the surface of each face being greater than the average distance between the two faces of at least one factor five and preferably at least factor ten, this machine comprising excitation members making it possible to vibrate at least one vibrating surface and driving elements making it possible to cause a relative rotation at least intermittently of said part with respect to the vibrating surface (s), the machine comprising at least one chamber making it possible to receive the thin wall (s) for their treatment, at least one vibrating surface giving into this chamber, the vibrating surface (s) being capable of creating a cloud of projectiles in the or each chamber, the machine being arranged to treat only part of the part at a time, so te that the processing is carried out gradually on the said. faces to introduce compression stresses.

Advantageously, the machine comprises elements making it possible to generate jets of compressed gas directed at the projectiles, so as to prevent them from leaving the treatment chamber and / or to accelerate their return towards the vibrating surface. Preferably, the machine comprises one or more sonotrodes defining the vibrating surface or surfaces.

Advantageously, the machine includes control means allowing - / -

gradually increase the excitation energy of the sonotrodes.

For certain parts to be treated, in particular a radial flange at the periphery of a part, the machine may comprise a casing defining a treatment chamber, which can be turned over relative to a vibrating surface, for successively treating two faces of a thin wall .

Advantageously, the aforementioned casing houses two mobile drawers between which a thin wall can be inserted, each of the drawers being able to be moved between a retracted position allowing the projectiles to bounce off the vibrating surface and a closed position where it closes the treatment chamber. The invention also relates to a machine intended for treating an annular-shaped part comprising a plurality of blades, in particular a one-piece paddle wheel rotating around an axis of rotation, preferably vertical. Such a machine can include two sonotrodes with substantially parallel axes, preferably vertical, angularly offset around the axis of rotation of the workpiece, so as to be located respectively between the lower and upper edges of two blades defining a space inter-blade.

The invention will be better understood on reading the detailed description which follows, of nonlimiting exemplary embodiments, and on examining the appended drawing, in which: - Figure 1 is a schematic and partial side view , a shot blasting machine according to a first example of implementation of the invention,

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1, of an alternative embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 3 represents, schematically and in perspective, a machine according to an alternative embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 showing another variant implementation of the invention,

FIG. 5 illustrates the marking of a part and the protection of an edge,

FIG. 5A is a schematic section illustrating another way of protecting the edge of a blade,

FIG. 6 is a schematic and partial view, in perspective, of a shot blasting machine according to another example of implementation of the invention, - o -

FIG. 7 is a schematic and partial view, in perspective, of a shot blasting machine according to another example of implementation of the invention, this machine comprising drawers,

FIG. 8 is a diagrammatic and partial view along the section line NIÏÏ-NÏÏI of FIG. 7, the drawers being in a first relative configuration,

FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIG. 8, the drawers being in a second relative configuration, and

- Figure 10 is a side view, schematic and partial, of a machine according to another example of implementation of the invention. FIG. 1 represents a first example of a shot peening device 1 making it possible to implement the method according to the invention.

This device 1 comprises a treatment chamber 2 formed between upper 3 and lower 4 and 5 walls, in which a cloud of projectiles 6 is generated by means of a vibrating surface 7 corresponding here to the upper end of a sonotrode 9 .

The wall 5 is located upstream of the treatment chamber 2 and the wall 4 is located downstream.

The treated part is here constituted by a bladed wheel 10 driven in rotation about a vertical axis X, comprising a support 11 of generally annular shape, provided on its outer periphery with blades 12 produced for example in one piece with the support 11.

It is not beyond the scope of the present invention when the blades are produced separately and assembled on the support before treatment.

The thickness of the blades 12 is relatively small compared to their height, measured in the direction of the axis X and compared to their radial dimension. The blades 12 constitute thin walls within the meaning of the present invention.

Each blade 12 has an upper edge 13 corresponding to the trailing edge and a wider lower edge 14, corresponding to the leading edge.

The projectile cloud 6 generated in the cavity 2 is maintained by the sonotrode 9, the latter being controlled by a generator 15.

The projectiles 6 rebound on the walls delimiting the treatment chamber 2 and on the sonotrode 9 where they acquire kinetic energy. - y -

In the embodiment described, the distance between the lower walls 4 and 5 located respectively upstream and downstream of the sonotrode 9 and the upper wall 3 is chosen so that the clearance between these walls and the edges 13 or 14 is sufficiently weak to prevent the exit of the projectiles 6. The wall 4 located downstream has a ramp approaching the wheel 10 as one moves away from the sonotrode 9.

A conduit 16 opens at the top of this ramp to inject compressed air and push back towards the treatment chamber 2 the projectiles driven towards the outside of the device by the rotation of the wheel 10, which is here continuous but could, as a variant , be discontinuous.

There is shown in Figure 2 a device according to an alternative embodiment of the invention, comprising a processing chamber 2 '.

This device differs from the device 1 previously described mainly by the fact that it comprises, in addition to the sonotrode 9, a second sonotrode 9 'defining a vibrating surface 7' parallel to the vibrating surface 7 and arranged opposite the latter. ^ above the wheel 10.

The upper wall 3 of the previous embodiment is replaced by an upper wall 3 'provided with a passage for the sonotrode 9', the latter being connected to the generator 15. The treatment chamber 2 'is identical to the treatment 2 for the rest.

The presence of the second sonotrode 9 'makes the treatment more homogeneous and reduces its duration by allowing the projectiles 6 to take up kinetic energy on the vibrating surface 7' without waiting to fall back on the vibrating surface 7.

The wheel 10 is driven in rotation about the axis X, in the embodiment described, continuously, over a number of turns preferably greater than or equal to five, but the rotation drive could just as easily s '' perform sequentially. The energy of the projectiles 6 is chosen so that a single passage in the treatment chamber 2 or 2 ′ is insufficient to cause sufficient blasting of the blades. By multiplying the number of revolutions, the effects of the treatment can be cumulated until reaching a satisfactory level of shot blasting, without however subjecting the blades to bombardment by projectiles having too high kinetic energy.

The blades are bombarded simultaneously on their two main faces when the latter are substantially in the center of the treatment chamber 2 or 2 ′.

On arrival of the blades in the treatment chamber, only their face situated on the downstream side with respect to the direction of rotation of the wheel is bombarded while after crossing the treatment chamber it is the opposite face which is bombarded. The fact of exposing only one side of the blades to bombardment by projectiles when they arrive in the room or when they leave is not annoying since the energy of the projectiles 6 is chosen to remain sufficiently weak and does not not excessively distort the blades.

The fact of carrying out a relatively high number of turns has the advantage that in the event of a slight overlapping of the parts treated at the start and at the end of the treatment of the part as a whole, such overlapping does not lead to excessive shot peening , thanks to the fact that the energy of the projectiles 6 remains relatively low.

In the embodiment described, the amplitude with which the sonotrodes

9 and / or 9 ′ are excited can be increased at each revolution of the wheel 10 so as to take account of the fact that during the treatment the hardness of the surface of the treated part increases and that therefore more energy to introduce new compression constraints.

FIG. 3 shows a device 30 according to another example of implementation of the invention. This device 30 differs mainly from the devices 1 and 1 previously described by the fact that the part to be treated, here the wheel 10 provided with blades 12, is rotated no longer about a vertical axis X but around an axis horizontal.

The blades pass through a treatment chamber provided on one side or on two opposite sides with one or two vibrating surfaces. Preferably, the openings of the treatment chamber through which the blades enter and exit have a section which corresponds substantially to that of the blades. In the embodiment described, a nozzle 31 is used to repel the projectiles towards the treatment chamber during the rotation of the wheel 10, which avoids the use of passive projectile recovery chambers .

FIG. 4 shows a variant of the device 30 of FIG. 3, in which the nozzle 31 is replaced by an internal channel 32, passing through a wall delimiting the treatment chamber 33, the compressed air leaving this channel 32 being intended on the one hand to prevent the projectiles from leaving the treatment chamber 33 and on the other hand to accelerate their return towards the vibrating surface 34.

In this figure, the front wall 35 of the treatment chamber 33 is partially shown, in order to reveal the channel 32 and the vibrating surface 34.

Advantageously, we take advantage of shot peening to mark the treated part, as will now be described with reference to FIG. 5.

In this figure, there is shown the support 11 partially coated with a mask 40 having openings 41 corresponding to the mark to be produced. During shot peening, the region of the support 11 covered by the mask 40 does not undergo the effects of peening, with the exception of the perforated surface 41.

This results in the support 11 after removal of the mask 40 a visible mark corresponding to the openings 41.

The mark corresponds, for example, to a serial or lot number, and such a mark proves to be particularly resistant to subsequent conventional treatments undergone by the part.

The trailing edge 13 of the blades 12 can be protected by means of a protective element in the form of a nozzle 42 fixed to the blade during shot peening, as illustrated in FIG. 6. It is also possible, rather than to use protective tips attached to the part to be treated, place in front of the edge or edges to be protected one or more deflectors, the latter being located at a relatively short distance from the edge or edges to be protected. Thus, the projectiles are prevented from striking the front or edges in question frontally. Each deflector can be placed a few mm for example from the edge to be protected, this edge can be a sharp edge 13 or a flat 17 (visible in FIG. 3) present at the free end of the blades, on the side opposite the base 11 . Each deflector can be removably attached to the part when the latter is continuously rotated or be fixed to the shot blasting machine in the event of intermittent rotation of the part.

By way of example, FIG. 5A shows a blade whose edge 18 is protected from the impact of the projectiles 6 by a deflector 45.

In the example illustrated, the deflector 45 is disposed on the path of the projectiles between the sonotrode and the edge 18 to be protected. The deflector 45 may be constituted, as shown, by a bar substantially parallel to the edge to be protected and of diameter corresponding substantially to the average thickness of the blade in the vicinity of the edge in question.

When the workpiece is rotated sequentially, the nozzles

16, 31 or the channel 32 described above can be omitted because it suffices to interrupt during the rotation of the part the excitation of the sonotrodes so that the projectiles fall back into the bottom of the treatment chamber and are not entrained by the blades outside of it.

FIG. 6 shows another example of a shot peening machine 50 making it possible to implement the method according to the invention.

This machine 50 comprises a frame 51 supporting a one-piece bladed wheel 60. The machine 50 also comprises a casing 63 defining a treatment enclosure 65 in the bottom of which is a sonotrode not shown.

A horizontal shaft 55 rotates in bearings 54 produced in the upper part of the frame 51.

The shaft 55 is secured to one end of a drive wheel 57 and to the other end of a mandrel 58. The bladed wheel 60 is mounted on the mandrel 58.

The wheel 57 is driven in rotation by a motor 65 by means of a belt 66.

The frame 51 includes uprights 52 making it possible to vertically move the casing 63 and the associated sonotrode, from a low position remote from the wheel 60 to a high position allowing the blades to be treated.

The blades then successively engage in the treatment enclosure 65 during the rotation of the wheel 60. The enclosure 65 is delimited, in a direction parallel to the axis of rotation of the wheel 60, by walls 64 adapted to the diameter of the cylindrical surface of the wheel 60 on which the blades are connected.

The lateral parts of the casing 63 include uprights 69 which extend over a height sufficient to prevent the projectiles present at the bottom of the enclosure from leaving the latter, the blades engaged in the uprights 69 opposing the raising of the projectiles.

The machine 50 also includes a dashboard 70 for controlling the rotation of the wheel 60 and the operation of the sonotrode, among others. FIG. 7 partially shows a shot blasting machine 71 making it possible to treat the two opposite faces 72a and 72b of an annular flange 72, extending radially at the base of a part 73 of generally conical shape.

The part 73 is rotated about its axis of symmetry, here vertical. The shot blasting machine 71 comprises a casing 74 defining a treatment chamber 75, visible in FIGS. 8 and 9.

The machine 71 comprises a sonotrode 76 defining a vibrating surface 77 constituting the bottom of the treatment chamber 75.

The housing 74 has a passage 78 for the flange 72, a lateral opening of this passage 78 being visible in FIG. 7.

The housing 74 has a beveled edge 80 extending along an arc of a circle along the conical part of the part 73, leaving a slight clearance with the latter, less than the diameter of the projectiles used.

The housing 74 is supported by a frame (not shown) making it possible to turn it over by causing it to rotate around an axis perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the part to be treated 73.

The housing 74 houses two drawers 82 and 83 which can move in translation along an axis W.

In the example described, the drawers 82 and 83 comprise racks not shown and a drive mechanism comprising a pinion meshing with these racks, the rotation of this pinion causing the simultaneous displacement of the two drawers, one approaching the part to be treated 73 while the other moves away from it and vice versa.

The housing 74 has a passage 85 which in the absence of the drawers is through.

Sonotrode 76 closes the lower end of this passage 85. The passage 85 is closed at its upper end by one of the drawers 82 and

83, depending on whether the housing 74 has been turned over or not.

In the configuration shown in FIG. 8, we see that it is the drawer 82 which closes the treatment enclosure 75 at its upper part, and in FIG. 9 we see that it is the drawer 83 which fulfills this function, the other drawer being in a retracted position allowing the sonotrode 76 to close the treatment chamber 75 below.

When the casing 74 is in the configuration shown in FIG. 8, it is the face 72a of the flange 72 which is blasted.

When the casing 74 is in the configuration of FIG. 9, it is the opposite face 72b which is shot blasted. It is possible to use two sonotrodes and to pass the part to be treated between them, for example by driving it in rotation about an axis of rotation, the latter possibly being vertical for example or other.

By way of example, FIG. 10 shows two blades 12 "defining between them an interpale space I in which a cloud of projectiles 6 in motion is generated, by means of two sonotrodes 9".

The axes of these sonotrodes 9 "are substantially parallel and angularly offset around the axis of rotation of the part to take account of the fact that the blades 12" are twisted.

The axes of the sonotrodes 9 "are thus arranged substantially in the center of the upper and lower regions of the interpale space I, respectively.

Pairs of opposite walls 90, 91 and 92, 93 are arranged respectively below and above the blades 12 "to prevent the projectiles 6 from coming out and facilitating their return to the vibrating surfaces.

At the end of the treatment of the surfaces facing the blades 12 ″, the excitation of the sonotrodes is interrupted by control means 95 and the projectiles 6 fall between the walls 90 and 91.

The part is then rotated to bring the interpale space I next between the 9 "sonotrodes and processing is resumed.

The part can also be treated continuously, in which case it is rotated continuously while the sonotrodes 9 "are energized.

A recovery enclosure, not shown, can make it possible to recover the projectiles 6 which escape from the interpale space I during the treatment and means are advantageously provided for supplying projectile space with projectiles 6 in order to compensate for the loss of the projectiles leaving the treatment area.

When the thickness of the layer which is put in compression is important compared to the thickness of the blades, the speed of rotation is preferably chosen sufficiently high so that the treatment difference between the face which enters the treatment zone and the face which leaves there remains negligible over the whole of the treatment.

When the part is rotated, the axis of rotation of the latter is not necessarily vertical. It can in particular be horizontal or make an acute angle with the vertical, and for example be substantially parallel to a flat present at a free end of a blade.

Of course, the invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments which have just been described.

One can in particular use the devices which have just been described for treating parts other than parts intended for aeronautics, in particular parts of land-based turbines.

The sonotrodes can be replaced by other elements capable of producing vibrations making it possible to project in a comparable manner projectiles such as balls or microbeads on a part to be treated.

The acoustic elements can be removable and portable so that they can be used for other applications, in particular for maintenance.

Claims

1. Method for blasting a part comprising at least one thin wall (12; 72) defining two opposite main faces, the square root of the surface of each face being greater than the average distance between the two said faces of at least a factor of five and preferably at least a factor of ten, method in which a relative rotation is caused at least intermittently of said part with respect to one or more vibrating surfaces (7; 7 '; 34; 77), at least one of the main faces being exposed to projectiles (6) set in motion by means of one or more of said vibrating surfaces, the treatment being carried out progressively on the said face (s) to introduce compression stresses, by treating a only part of the part at a time and preferably exposing regions of the part to projectiles several times, with relative rotation between said exposures.

2. Method according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the part is rotated around a geometric axis of rotation (X) and that the or each thin wall (12; 72) is successively exposed to projectiles in a treatment chamber (2; 2 '; 75) intended to be crossed by this or each thin wall during its treatment.

3. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the part is rotated continuously.

4. Method according to one of claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the part is rotated sequentially.

5. Method according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that the part is rotated so that the or each thin wall makes several passages in the treatment chamber, preferably at least five.

6. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the two main faces are treated with a plurality of thin walls distributed angularly on a support intended to be driven in rotation.

7. Method according to the immediately preceding claim, characterized in that said thin walls are constituted by blades (12).

8. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the part comprises at least one edge capable of being damaged by the impacts of projectiles and by the fact that this edge is protected by means of a protective element attached to the part or placed in the enclosure.

9. Method according to claim 8, characterized in that the protective element (42) extends in contact with the edge to be protected.

10. Method according to claim 8, characterized in that the protective element (45) is spaced from the edge to be protected.

11. The method of claim 4 and optionally any one of claims 5 to 10, characterized in that one uses the thin walls of the treated part to prevent the exit of the projectiles from the enclosure and that the the part is rotated sequentially, interrupting the treatment during the rotation of the part.

12. Method according to claim 2 and optionally any one of claims 3 to 11, characterized in that at least one jet of compressed gas is used to prevent the projectiles from leaving the treatment chamber and / or to accelerate their recovery.

13. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the vibrating surface or surfaces consist of one or more sonotrodes (9; 9 '; 109).

14. Method according to the immediately preceding claim, characterized in that one controls the excitation of the sonotrode (s) so as to increase the blasting energy during the treatment.

15. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the intensity of the blasting is increased as the number of passages of the thin wall in the treatment chamber increases.

16. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the part is rotated about a geometric axis of vertical rotation.

17. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that the part is rotated about a geometric axis of horizontal rotation.

18. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that there are vibrating surfaces (7; 7 ') respectively on either side of the path traveled by the wall (s) (12) treated.

19. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the part is marked by interposing between it and the projectiles a mask (40) having openings (41) corresponding to the mark to be produced.

20. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that only one of the two faces (72a, 72b) of a thin wall is treated at a time.

21. Method according to the immediately preceding claim, characterized in that the thin wall (72) is turned over at the end of the treatment of one face (72a) of its two faces to treat the other face (72b).

22. Method according to any one of claims 20 and 21, characterized in that the thin wall (72) is inserted between two movable drawers (82; 83), each of the drawers being able to be moved between a retracted position and a position closing, the drawer located on the side opposite the vibrating surface (77) relative to the thin wall being in the closed position to close the treatment chamber and the drawer located on the side of the vibrating surface being in the retracted position to allow projectiles bounce off the vibrating surface.

23. The method of claim 22, characterized in that after the treatment of one face of the thin wall, the part is turned over with the drawers, the vibrating surface remaining fixed, the drawer previously in the closed position being retracted and vice versa.

24. Machine for blasting a part (10; 50; 73) comprising at least one thin wall (12; 72) defining two opposite main faces, the square root of the surface of each face being greater than the average distance between the two said faces of at least a factor of five and preferably of at least a factor of ten, this machine comprising a device making it possible to vibrate at least one vibrating surface and a device making it possible to cause a relative rotation at least intermittently of said part relative to the vibrating surface (s), the machine further comprising at least one chamber making it possible to receive the thin wall (s) for their treatment, at least one vibrating surface giving into this chamber, the vibrating surface (s) being capable of creating a cloud of projectiles (6) in the or each chamber, the machine being arranged to treat only part of the part with the times, so that the treatment is carried out gradually on the said face or faces to introduce compression stresses.

25. Machine according to the immediately preceding claim, characterized in that it comprises means making it possible to generate jets of compressed gas directed at the projectiles so as to prevent them from leaving the treatment enclosure and / or accelerate their return to the vibrating surface (7; 7 ').

26. Machine according to one of claims 24 and 25, characterized in that it comprises one or more sonotrodes (9; 9 '; 76) defining the vibrating surface or surfaces (7; 7'; 77).

27. Machine according to the immediately preceding claim, characterized in that it comprises means making it possible to gradually increase the excitation energy of the sonotrodes.

28. Machine according to any one of claims 24 to 27, characterized in that it comprises a casing (74) defining a treatment chamber (75), which can be turned over relative to a vibrating surface (76) for treating successively two faces (72a; 72b) of a thin wall (72).

29. Machine according to the immediately preceding claim, characterized in that the casing (74) houses two movable drawers (82; 83), between which a thin wall can be inserted, each of the drawers being able to be moved between a retracted position allowing the projectiles bounce off the vibrating surface (77) and a closed position where it closes the treatment chamber (75).

30. Machine according to any one of claims 24 to 27, characterized in that it comprises two sonotrodes (9 ") having axes which are substantially parallel and angularly offset around the axis of rotation of the treated part, the surfaces vibrators defined by these sonotrodes located respectively at the two ends of an interpale space (I).