General Electric Company

Michael L Dziech

Joseph Anthony Traxler

Brenda Catherine Tenley

Jon Russel Dierdorf

Michael Wayne Fields

Wayne Lee Lawrence

Anthony William Mellors

Richard W Smith

Mark Partika

James Michael Donovan

Scott A Whitlow

Fred L Perrin, Jr

James Michael Johnson

A method and system for inspecting components, such as a rotating component of a turbomachines having one or more slots along a perimeter thereof. The method entails mounting to a robotic apparatus a probe assembly that includes a holder assembly to which a probe tip is mounted, an eddy current coil within the probe tip and adjacent a first face thereof, a touch probe contact located at a second face of the probe tip, an element for enabling relative movement between the probe tip and holder assembly, and an element for biasing the probe tip relative to the holder assembly in a direction parallel to the movement. The probe tip is then placed in a slot and caused to travel along the surface of the slot to electromagnetically inspect the slot for cracks in its surface while the first face of the probe tip is maintained in contact with a slot surface.

Nondestructive robotic inspection method and system therefor

A method for inspecting a gas turbine engine component includes positioning an ultrasonic probe assembly proximate to a surface of the component, wherein the ultrasonic probe assembly includes a body portion and an inspection bar, coupling the inspection bar to the body portion such that the inspection bar is substantially vertical with respect to the body portion, moving the ultrasonic probe assembly along a substantially horizontal axis while generating ultrasonic data of the component, coupling the inspection bar to the body portion such that the inspection bar is substantially horizontal with respect to the body portion, moving the ultrasonic probe assembly along a substantially vertical axis while generating ultrasonic data of the component, and utilizing the generated data to reconstruct an image of the component.

Method and apparatus for inspecting a component

A method for inspecting a gas turbine engine rotor disk, wherein the rotor disk includes a plurality of dovetail slots, includes providing a probe assembly including an eddy current probe and a probe fixture, wherein the eddy current probe includes a body portion and a tip portion including an eddy current probe coil. The method also includes inserting the eddy current probe into the probe fixture, coupling the probe fixture to the rotor disk such that at least a portion of the probe fixture is coupled to at least one of the dovetail slots, and such that the eddy current probe is positioned adjacent the rotor disk, generating an eddy current in the rotor disk using the eddy current probe coil, and inspecting the rotor disk using the probe assembly.

Methods and apparatus for inspecting a component

An eddy current inspection apparatus includes a holder for a specimen, a holder for an eddy current probe, and an eddy current instrument operatively joined thereto. The probe holder includes carriages for translating the probe along first and second axes. The probe holder is selectively moved to align the probe with an internal channel of the specimen for sliding movement therealong to conduct eddy current inspection thereof.

Internal eddy current inspection

A sensor measurement of an article having an article surface shape is performed using a hand-held senor probe having a probe housing, a sensor support rotatably mounted in the probe housing and having an orienting structure defined thereon. The orienting structure is preferably an orienting face with substantially the article surface shape. A sensor, such as a eddy current sensor, is affixed to the sensor support and is operable through the orienting face of the sensor support. The orienting face of the sensor support is pressed against the article surface to orient the sensor support and thence the sensor relative to the article surface, and the sensor measurement is performed. The sensor is preferably a ball having the orienting face thereon, and mounted to the probe housing in a ball-and-socket relationship.

Self-aligning probe and its use

A rotor disk is inspected using an inspection apparatus including an inspection fixture which has a base, and at least one guide extending from the base. Each guide is slidably engagable to one of the rotor slots of the rotor disk and has a guide side shaped to slidably conform to the rotor slot side, and a guide bottom having a guide bottom surface which, in combination with a slot bottom surface, defines an elongated inspection cavity extending parallel to the axis of revolution of the rotor disk. The inspection fixture is mated to the rotor disk such that each guide slides into one of the rotor slots. A sensor apparatus includes a sensor, such as an eddy current sensor, sized to slide into the inspection cavity with a close facing relation thereto, and a sensor drive that moves the sensor parallel to a direction of elongation of the inspection cavity. Inspection is performed by inserting the sensor into the inspection cavity, and sensing the rotor slot bottom using the sensor.

Rotor slot bottom inspection apparatus and method

A portable three axis scanner is usable to inspect a gas turbine engine spool in situ upon removing a fan module from the engine. The scanner includes a drive assembly mountable to a forward end of the spool, and a support assembly mountable to an aft end of the spool. A support beam extends between the drive and support assemblies, and a carriage assembly is mounted thereon. The carriage assembly includes a probe support for mounting a removable scanner probe for inspecting the inside of the spool by ultrasonic or eddy current inspection. The drive assembly includes means for axially translating the carriage assembly, means for rotating the carriage assembly, and means for radially translating the probe support and probe thereon so that the probe has three-axis movement including axial, circumferential, and radial, respectively, for being selectively positioned inside the spool between the forward and aft ends thereof for inspecting the spool.

Growing community of inventors

Cincinnati, OH, United States of America

Michael L Dziech