Structural Integrity Evaluation of Surface-strengthened Titanium Alloy Blades for Aero-engines

LIU Chuan; ZHANG Xuan; SHANG Yibo; TAN Yu; ZHOU Liucheng; WEN Shifeng; WANG Chen; PAN Xinlei; YI Min

doi:10.16490/j.cnki.issn.1001-3660.2026.19.017

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Surface Technology ›› 2026, Vol. 55 ›› Issue (19) : 205-219. DOI: 10.16490/j.cnki.issn.1001-3660.2026.19.017

Surface and Interface Strengthening Technology

Structural Integrity Evaluation of Surface-strengthened Titanium Alloy Blades for Aero-engines

LIU Chuan¹, ZHANG Xuan², SHANG Yibo^1,*, TAN Yu^3,*, ZHOU Liucheng^1,4, WEN Shifeng⁵, WANG Chen¹, PAN Xinlei¹, YI Min²

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Abstract

Fan and compressor blades are the critical components of aircraft engines. Surface strengthening processes can effectively improve the blade fatigue strength, and are widely used in blade manufacturing. However, the surface strengthening process involves numerous process parameters. The surface state parameters (residual stress, roughness, hardness, etc.) of various strengthening processes are different, resulting in significant differences in the effectiveness of fatigue performance improvement. It is important to evaluate the strengthening processes and the corresponding surface states for blade manufacturing. In the present work, considering the superposition influence of residual stress and vibration stress, a surface state evaluation model for surface strengthened blade was built based on the internal fatigue limit. The model incorporated the Goodman equation to account for mean stress effects, with the measured gradients of residual stress and hardness as input parameters, thus providing a quantitative link between surface integrity and fatigue strength. Two distinct strengthening processes, namely laser shock peening (LSP) and compound LSP and shot peening (SP), were adopted to investigate the TC17 titanium alloy at both the material level and the simulated blade level. The microhardness and residual stress distributions after surface strengthening were tested. Compared with LSP alone, the compound strengthening introduced a hardened layer with higher hardness, larger compressive residual stress, and a deeper influence layer on the blade surface. Fatigue tests were carried out to compare the fatigue limits of materials strengthened by the two approaches. The fatigue test results of the plate-like tensile specimens showed that the fatigue limit of the LSP-treated titanium alloy increased by 10.9%, and that of the titanium alloy treated by compound LSP and SP exhibited a 13.7% improvement. The bending vibration fatigue test results of simulated blade samples showed that the fatigue limit of the LSP-treated material increased by 7.8%, and that of the alloy subjected to compound LSP and SP was enhanced by 13.0%. Both surface LSP and compound LSP+SP could effectively improve the high-cycle fatigue strength of TC17 titanium alloy and its blades, with the latter exhibiting a superior strengthening effect. The evolution laws of microhardness and residual stress were analyzed, and a surface state evaluation model for strengthened blades was built based on the internal fatigue limit theory and the Goodman formula. The model predictions matched the experimental results described above. The surface state evaluation method established in this paper can quickly and effectively evaluate the surface strengthening process effect, and can be used for preliminary assessment of the surface state of strengthened components, providing theoretical guidance for fatigue performance evaluation of blades treated by various methods such as SP, LSP, and compound LSP+SP. Moreover, this method enables rapid screening of optimal process parameters without relying on extensive experimental campaigns, thus saving time and cost in blade manufacturing and offering a practical tool for quality control and life prediction.

Key words

surface strengthening / surface integrity / fatigue limit / internal fatigue limit theory

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LIU Chuan, ZHANG Xuan, SHANG Yibo, TAN Yu, ZHOU Liucheng, WEN Shifeng, WANG Chen, PAN Xinlei, YI Min. Structural Integrity Evaluation of Surface-strengthened Titanium Alloy Blades for Aero-engines[J]. Surface Technology. 2026, 55(19): 205-219

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Funding

The National Major Science and Technology Project of China (J2019-IV-0014-0082); National Vertical Research Project (XXXX2023XXXC006); National Natural Science Foundation of China (Youth Project) (52405240); National Key Research and Development Program of China (2024YFB4609000)