The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 11, 1999
Filed:
Mar. 18, 1997
Carl Granger, Jr, West Chester, OH (US);
Francis H Little, Cincinnati, OH (US);
Thomas B Hewton, Cape Coral, FL (US);
Kristina H Hedengren, Schenectady, NY (US);
General Electric Company, Cincinnati, OH (US);
Abstract
An eddy current device for inspecting a component, such as a closed surface area of a gas turbine engine or the like, includes an eddy current array circuit having an active face for positioning on a surface portion of the component during an inspection operation and backing on a surface of the eddy current array circuit opposite to the active face. The eddy current array circuit and backing are disposed over the operating face and expandable sides of an extendible pin. The extendible pin has a slot formed therein with interior side edges which narrow toward the operating face of the pin at a predetermined slope. The expanding pin is positioned to cause the angled sides to mate while engaging the interior angled sides of the round or shaped hole to cause the exterior sides of the expandable pin to expand outwardly a greater distance as the pin is pushed deeper into the hole. This causes the eddy current circuit to conform with the shape of the surface to be inspected. The array sensor is so shaped that it can cover the closed surface in as little as one scan.