Apparatus and method for inspecting cooling holes
US5111046A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 18, 1991 |
| Grant date | May 5, 1992 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 18, 2011 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01N25/72
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A method and apparatus for inspecting a channel through a workpiece or cooling holes through the surface of a gas turbine engine are disclosed. The gas turbine engine blade is mounted in a fixture such that a heated gas may be forced into the hollow interior of the blade during a heat-up cycle, and after a predetermined period of time, a solenoid valve switches to shut off the heated gas and to permit a chilled gas to be forced into the hollow interior of the blade for a cool-down cycle. An imaging infrared radiometer generates a series of images of the blade during both the heat-up and cool-down cycles. A selected group of parameters are determined from the series of images generated by the IR radiometer and defects within the cooling holes may then be detected by analyzing the parameters, such as a transient response of the infrared signature of the cooling holes during both the heat-up and the cool-down cycles.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.