General Electric Company

The Coca-cola Company

Paul C Bagley

Richard Michael Hatley

Robert M Roney

Kenneth John Hatley

Peter John McGrath

Eric Steven Buskirk

Roderick Mark Lusted

Robert Martin Roney, Jr

Sean Michael McDonnell

Waheed Tony Mall

Gary Lindsey Stewart

John Roger McCarvill

James Thaddeus Henley

Dean Thomas Roney

Richard McConnell

Methods and systems for maintaining a machine using an in-situ vehicle (IV) is provided. The IV may be used with a machine that includes a work-piece and an interference body positioned proximate a surface of the work-piece such that a relatively small gap extends between the work-piece and the interference body. The method includes transporting the IV from external to the machine into the gap, positioning the IV in the gap such that at least a portion of the IV circumscribes a work area of the work-piece, locking the IV between the work-piece and the interference body, and manipulating a tool coupled to the IV from external to the machine, the tool configured to transfer a component between the work-piece and a storage cassette on the IV.

Methods and systems for in-situ machine maintenance

An inspection head for an air gap inspection device. The inspection head may include a pair of expandable shoes, an inspection device attached to the pair of shoes, and a transducer assembly attached to one of the pair of shoes.

Junior ultrasonic miniature air gap inspection crawler

A borescope is received within a housing. The borescope includes a flexible end portion carrying the video head and a housing includes a flexible end portion comprised of ball-socket segments and a tip for following the movement of the flexible end portion of the borescope. Cooling air is provided in an annular passage between the borescope and housing for flow about the borescope to maintain the video head temperature below its temperature limitation. Two cables maintain the ball-socket segments and tip in contact with a transition piece and with one another to enable the flexible borescope end portion to follow the movement of the directionally controlled video head.

Flexible borescope assembly for inspecting internal turbine components at elevated temperatures

A probe is pulled along a cooling slot of a turbine wheel to detect defects along the slot surfaces. The cooling slot extends radially inwardly of the bases of both the dovetails and dovetail slots. A housing assembly is releasably coupled to the rim of the turbine wheel and a motor draws the probe along the cooling slot at constant speed. A guide and brushes on the probe serve to bias the probe radially outwardly against the surfaces to be inspected as the probe is drawn along the cooling slot.

Apparatus and methods for inspecting cooling slot defects in turbine rotor wheels

An air gap inspection device. The air gap inspection device may include a substantially rigid rail, a cart positioned on the rail, a drive system for maneuvering the cart along the rail, and an inspection head positioned on the cart.

Micro miniature air gap inspection crawler

The cleaning system includes a plurality of generally dovetail-shaped slot blocks having a slot along a radial inner side, an abrasive media or belt and a backing tube. Upon insertion of the blocks into the dovetail slots of a rotor wheel and aligning the block slots with the cooling slot, the abrasive media and backing tube are inserted in the cooling slot tunnel. The abrasive media may extend through end feeder blocks. With the backing tube applying pressure radially outwardly against the abrasive media, back and forth motion applied manually from outboard of the rim of the rotor cleans the surfaces of the cooling slot without disassembly of the rotor.

Apparatus and methods for cleaning cooling slot surfaces on a rotor wheel of a gas turbine

An air gap inspection device. The air gap inspection device may include a mast and an inspection head attached to the mast. The mast may be in the form of a collapsible tube.

Tape fed miniature air gap inspection crawler

A miniature air gap inspection crawler. The miniature air gap inspection crawler may include a base, a linear drive mechanism and a circumferential drive mechanism such that either the linear drive mechanism or the circumferential drive mechanism may be employed, and an inspection module connected to the base.

Growing community of inventors

Middleburgh, NY, United States of America

Paul C Bagley