Shot Peening

Shot peening:

SAFE Air offers both automated shot peening and rotor peening for military and civil aircraft applications.

Shot peening is a highly specialised, cold working method of imparting a layer of compressive stress onto the surface of a structure, in order to counter the effects of residual fatigue stress. This prevents stress corrosion cracking and fatigue stress cracking, as cracks will not propagate in an area subjected to compressive stress.

The process uses tiny spherical balls as peening hammers, which are propelled in a tightly controlled process to impact on a surface, each creating a small dent.
SAFE Air’s engineers have the capability to shot peen propeller blades, wheels, skin structures and third party work for both military and civil applications.
Shot peening is design critical and as such, is offered by SAFE Air as a closely integrated part of the range of other services performed on-site.

 

Automated shot peening

SAFE Air owns and operates a six axis computer controlled, manually monitored, shot peening machine  which exceeds the requirements of the governing specification,  AMS2430.

The machine allows highly controlled shot peening of components up to a maximum of 2x2m, in a tightly controlled environment..

SAFE Air has a selection of shot peening media available to suit the customer’s requirements. This includes cast steel balls, case hardened steel balls, stainless steel cut wire and glass bead.

Attention to detail is critical in this very specialised process, and SAFE Air places high importance on ensuring process control equipment is regularly inspected and calibrated.

Rotor peening

This manual method of peening offered by SAFE Air is used for smaller applications and repairs.

The advantage to rotor peening is that it is fully mobile, with SAFE Air engineers regularly performing on-site repairs all over New Zealand.
SAFE Air’s capability to perform rotor peening is a specialised service with limited availability around New Zealand. SAFE Air’s engineers have had extensive training in shot peening and are certified to the highest level.