Eddy current flexible field probe deployed through a loading platform
US6198280A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 27, 1998 |
| Grant date | Mar 6, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 27, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01N27/902
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
Flexible eddy current probes that allow an inspector to interrogate the blade roots or disk slots of different types of blades and disks while using a limited number of probes. The probe includes a rectangular-shaped block assembly, a rectangular-shaped loading platform having a slot therein, and stabilizing slide rods that couple the loading platform to the block assembly. The slide rods are adapted to slide through the block assembly as the block assembly is urged towards the loading platform. The probe further includes a flexible coil within a flexible membrane that produces a magnetic field during the inspection. The flexible coil extends from the block assembly and remains within the device, that is, between the loading platform and the block assembly, when not deployed. When deployed, the flexible coil passes through the slot in the loading platform to allow contact with the surface being inspected. Outriggers within the probe guide the flexible coil onto the surface during deployment.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.