General Electric Company

Gerald B Nightingale

Robert S Gilmore

Francis Howard Little

Gregory Alan Mohr

Thomas William Birdwell

John Charles Janning

A method for non-destructive examination of parts includes producing a 3-D image of a sample of a part, extracting a point cloud of the image of the sample of the part, and registering the point cloud to a CAD coordinate system. The method further includes determining points in the point cloud of the image that are more than a specified distance from surfaces on a CAD 3-D model of the part using the same coordinate system, and utilizing the determined points to determine the presence of anomalies or present an image of anomalies in the sample of the part.

Method and apparatus for finding anomalies in finished parts and/or assemblies

A system and method for using the detector to differentiate neutron attenuating material from high x-ray attenuating material in an object. The inspection system is used to detect the presence of nitride in titanium sponge nuggets or residual core material in a hollow-cast turbine engine blades. The inspection system uses a dual radiation source to alternately emit neutrons and x-rays or gamma rays at the object under inspection. A dual modality gas ionization detector detects the radiation passing through the object and sends the detected radiation to a processing means for image generation. The generated image is displayed on a display, enabling objects formed with low and high attenuating material to be distinguished.

System and method for using a dual modality detector for inspecting

A dual modality gas ionization detector for differentiating neutron attenuating material from high x-ray attenuating material in an object. The dual modality gas ionization detector uses .sup.3 He and Xe gases pressurized in an ionization chamber to detect neutrons x-rays or gamma rays. The dual modality gas ionization detector is used in an inspection system for detecting, characterizing, or differentiating small amounts of neutron attenuating materials in objects composed primarily of materials of large attenuating x-ray material.

Dual modality detector

A blackline indictor for use in tomographic and/or radioscopic inspection of a weld joint is disclosed. The indicator includes a first elongated member having a first end and a second end and a second elongated member juxtaposed to said first member and also having a first end and a second end. The first ends of the elongated members are in contact with one another, and a spacer is disposed between the first and second members to position the second ends of the members at a selected distance from one another. The selected distance is at least equal to a thickness of the weld joint under inspection, and the first and second members and the spacer define a calibrated wedge shaped gap which is radiographically imageable to permit determination and control of the x-ray inspection parameters. The blackline indicator constituents may be magnetized to hold the constituents together and to permit attachment of the indicator to a workpiece under inspection in a position where the calibrated wedge shaped gap will be substantially superimposed over the weld joint in a radiographic image thereof with one of the elongated members being substantially parallel to the weld joint.

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West Chester, OH, United States of America

Gerald B Nightingale