General Electric Company

Oliver Crispin Robotics Limited

Thomas Joseph Kelly

Nripendra Nath Das

Michael James Weimer

Mark Alan Rosenzweig

Wayne Ray Grady

David Scott Diwinsky

Andrew Crispin Graham

Herbert Chidsey Roberts

Lyle Timothy Rasch

Byron Andrew Pritchard, Jr

Mehmet Muhittin Dede

Michael Dean Fullington

Bhupendra Kumar Gupta

Ethan Patrick O'Connor

Xiao Bian

Gary Lee Ward

Michael Todd Stowe

Marc Metz

Bernard Patrick Bewlay

Don Mark Lipkin

Ambarish Jayant Kulkarni

Todd William Danko

David Edwin Budinger

Ser Nam Lim

John Karigiannis

Michael Philip Hagle

Trevor Owen Hawke

Tim Henri Ann Francois

Mark John Zajkowski

Robert Ingram Ackerman

Stephane Harel

Matthew Nicklus Miller

Steeves Bouchard

Timothy Lee Siebert

Joanna Mechelle Jayawickrema

Marek M Steplewski

Alistair Smith

Michael J Steckler

Jose Abiel Garza

Nathaniel Patrick Brown

Mustafa Gokhan Uzunbas

Cary Michael Kinder

Ton Thu Lang Giang

Glenn Knight

Ron Souther

Mustafa Devrim Kaba

Maxime Beaudoin Pouliot

Marcin Zak

Huseyin Kandir

Jesus Palomino

Pawel Mankowski

Ian Craig Linscott

Marcin Trajer

Michael Steckler

Michael Stowe

A maintenance tool for gas turbine engine includes a rail system having a plurality of rail segments insertable through one or more inspection holes of the gas turbine engine for assembly within a core air flowpath of the gas turbine engine. The maintenance tool additionally includes a maintenance head movable along the plurality of rail segments of the rail system for performing maintenance operations within the core air flowpath.

Gas turbine engine maintenance tool

A tool for performing inspection and/or maintenance operations on an engine defines a longitudinal direction and a tangential direction. The tool includes a base extending along the longitudinal direction and including a body, a first extension member extending from the body in the tangential direction at a first location, and a second extension member extending from the body in the tangential direction at a second location. The second location is spaced from the first location along the longitudinal direction. The tool also includes a pivot member rotatably coupled to the base and moveable between an insertion position in which the pivot member is oriented generally along the longitudinal direction and a deployed position in which the pivot member is oriented away from the longitudinal direction.

Engine inspection and maintenance tool

A cable tensioning system including: a body defining a balance point; a cable receiving area having gripping elements configured to grip and bias a cable relative to the cable tensioning system; and a sensor configured to sense changes to a balance of the body about the balance point, wherein the cable tensioning system is configured to maintain the cable within a preset range of tensions.

Cable tensioning systems

An extension tool has a proximal end and a distal end and comprises a plurality of sequentially arranged links moveable relative to one another and a support member defining the distal end and including a first wheel disposed at the distal end and a second wheel spaced apart from the first wheel. Additionally, or alternatively, an extension tool may comprise a plurality of windows defined in the plurality of sequentially arranged links. The windows are defined periodically along the plurality of sequentially arranged links such that a periodicity of the widows corresponds to a periodicity of a plurality of features of the component.

Extension tool

The present disclosure is directed to an optical adapter for an optical scope. The optical scope includes a tube defining a conduit. The optical adapter is coupled to an end of the tube. The optical adapter defines a proximate end and a distal end. The optical adapter includes a casing defining a longitudinal direction. The casing includes a first wall and a second wall, in which the first wall and the second wall define a first viewing port therebetween. The second wall defines a second viewing port. The optical adapter further includes a hinge coupled to the first wall, a reflecting lens defining a first end separated from a second end in the longitudinal direction, in which the first end is coupled to the hinge, and an actuator coupled to the first wall and to the second end of the reflecting lens. The actuator pivots the reflecting lens about the hinge from a retracted position adjacent to the first wall to an extended position toward the second wall.

Integrated variable view optical adapter for an optical scope

A method for inspecting a gas turbine engine using a maintenance tool includes assembling a plurality of rail segments of a rail system of the maintenance tool within a core air flowpath of the gas turbine engine. The gas turbine engine includes a compressor section, a combustion section, and a turbine section together defining at least in part the core air flowpath. The method also includes moving a maintenance head of the maintenance tool along the plurality of rail segments of the rail system to perform maintenance operations within the core air flowpath of the gas turbine engine.

Gas turbine engine maintenance method

A system is provided for performing an operation on a component of an engine. The component includes a first side positioned within an interior of the engine. The system includes a first robotic arm defining a first distal end and including a first utility member positioned at the first distal end, the first robotic arm moveable to the interior of the engine to a location operably adjacent to the first side of the component; and a second robotic arm defining a second distal end and including a second utility member positioned at the second distal end, the second robotic arm also moveable to the interior of the engine to facilitate the first and second utility members performing the operation on the component of the engine.

System and method for performing operations on an engine

A system for performing ultrasonic procedures within a turbomachine. The system includes a bladder and a probe assembly. The bladder includes a bladder body for positioning within the turbomachine. Further, the bladder is inflatable to at least partially define an ultrasonic tank within the turbomachine for containing a fluid medium. The probe assembly includes an extension member and ultrasonic transmitter coupled to or positioned within the extension member. The extension member is insertable into the ultrasonic tank for positioning the ultrasonic transmitter within the ultrasonic tank.

Ultrasonic tank for a turbomachine

An engine assembly includes an engine including a component and defining an opening and an interior, the component including a first side and an opposite second side, the second side positioned within the interior of the engine. The engine assembly also includes an inspection tool having a first member including at least one of a receiver or a transmitter and directed at the first side of the component. The inspection tool also includes a second member including the other of the receiver or the transmitter and positioned at least partially within the interior of the engine and directed at the second side of the component to communicate a signal with the first member through the component, the second member being a robotic arm extending through the opening of the engine.

Inspection tool and method

An inspection system includes an imaging device, visible light source, ultraviolet light source, and at least one processor. The imaging device generates a first image set of a work piece while the ultraviolet light source illuminates the work piece with ultraviolet light to cause fluorescent dye thereon to emit light, and generates a second image set of the work piece while the visible light source illuminates the work piece with visible light. The first and second image sets are generated at the same positions of the imaging device relative to the work piece. The processor maps the second image set to a computer design model of the work piece based on features depicted in the second image set and the positions of the imaging device. The processor determines a defect location on the work piece based on an analysis of the first image set and the computer design model.

Fluorescent penetrant inspection system and method

The present disclosure is directed to a computer-implemented method of sensor planning for acquiring samples via an apparatus including one or more sensors. The computer-implemented method includes defining, by one or more computing devices, an area of interest; identifying, by the one or more computing devices, one or more sensing parameters for the one or more sensors; determining, by the one or more computing devices, a sampling combination for acquiring a plurality of samples by the one or more sensors based at least in part on the one or more sensing parameters; and providing, by the one or more computing devices, one or more command control signals to the apparatus including the one or more sensors to acquire the plurality of samples of the area of interest using the one or more sensors based at least on the sampling combination.

Robotic sensing apparatus and methods of sensor planning

A method for remotely stopping a crack in a component of a gas turbine engine is provided. The method can include inserting an integrated repair interface attached to a cable delivery system within a gas turbine engine; positioning the tip adjacent to a defect within a surface of the component; temporarily attaching the tip adjacent to the defect within the surface on the component; supplying a new material to the area to fill the defect; and heating the new material to fuse the new material to the component within the defect.

In situ gas turbine prevention of crack growth progression

Methods for remotely joining material a surface area of a component of a gas turbine engine are provided. The method can include inserting an integrated repair interface attached to a cable delivery system within a gas turbine engine; positioning a tip of the integrated repair interface adjacent to a defect defined within a surface of the component; temporarily attaching the tip adjacent to the defect within the surface of the component; and supplying a new material to the area to fill the defect.

Growing community of inventors

Hamilton, OH, United States of America

Wayne Ray Grady