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Shake away fatigue and stress with ultrasound
20 Jul 2008
An ultrasonic treatment service can extend the fatigue life of metallic components and relieve residual stress, as well as increasing surface hardness, toughness and corrosion resistance. Typical components that can be treated include tubular fabrications, solid shafts, threaded connections and welded joints.
The service, which is offered by Ultrasonic Management, uses a hand-held tool that uses ultrasonic impacts to change the stress profile of the component through plastic deformation of the surface. The process creates a protectice compressive stress up to a depth of 2.5mm and relieves compressive stresses up to a depth of 15mm.
The Esonix UIT (Ultrasonic Impact Treatment) tool is also available for hire so that companies can carry out their own stress treatments.
Although not widely known, the technique has been used successfully for over 30 years and has been used to improve material quality in the manufacture and repair of components such as semi-submersible rigs, railways, bridges, cranes, propellers and aircraft wings.
The process can be applied to virtually any metal, including carbon steels, stainless steels, high tensile steels, aluminium, inconel, ductile irons, titanium and bronze.
The technique already has Lloyds Register approval for replacement of toe-grinding as a post-weld treatment and there is extensive research work either in place, or under way with universities such as: Lehigh, Sheffield Hallam (aerospace applications), Hannover and Stuttgart (high strength steels). In fact, Lloyds Register have approved UIT for use in construction of the tanks of LPG vessels.
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