Engine blade dovetail inspection

US7451639B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• JENTEK Sensors, Inc. · US

Inventors

• Neil J. Goldfine · Newton, US
• Mark Windoloski · Chelmsford, US
• Vladimir Tsukernik · Dedham, US
• Darrell E. Schlicker · Watertown, US
• Todd M Dunford · Amherst, US
• Andrew P. Washabaugh · Chula Vista, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Mar 7, 2007
• Grant date: Nov 18, 2008
• Expiry date: Jul 9, 2027

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01B7/285
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A set of curved components, such as the dovetail region of engine blades, are inspected by mounting each component into a circular carousel in a vertical orientation and rotating the carousel to move each component toward and away from an inspection site. The inspection site clamps a flexible eddy current sensor array to the curved material surface, scans the array over the surface, records the sensor position. A rigid element having a surface geometry similar to the surface shape of the component can be attached to the component to facilitate scanning of the sensor array over a component edge. The response of each sense element in the array may be converted into an effective material property and sense element proximity to the component material surface to verify the quality of the inspection scan and the presence of a defect such as a crack.