A METHOD AND AN APPARATUS FOR PRESTRESSING COMPONENTS BY ELECTRICAL DISCHARGE

摘要

A method of pre-stressing a component such as a turbine blade (52) comprises providing an electrically conducting sheet (66) adjacent to a component (52) within a fluid medium (56). An electrical discharge is supplied from an electrical discharge circuit (58) to the electrically conducting sheet (66) to produce vaporisation there of (66). The vaporisation of the electrically conducting sheet (66) produces a planar pressure pulse in the medium (56) adjacent to the component (52). The planar pressure pulse impacts on a surface of the component (52) to produce a region of residual compressive stress within the component (52).