Rotary Grinding Apparatus For Blending Defects on Turbine Blades and Associated Method of Use

a technology of blending defects and rotary grinding, which is applied in the direction of mechanical equipment, machines/engines, manufacturing tools, etc., can solve the problems of high cost, time-consuming and expensive procedures, and often damaged gas turbine engines, typically mounted on the wing of aircra

Inactive Publication Date: 2006-11-16
MOELLER DIETER +2
View PDF4 Cites 23 Cited by
  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

Enables efficient and cost-effective in-situ repair of turbine blades by allowing operators to visually inspect and blend defects using a versatile grinding tool that can be easily maneuvered through engine casing ports, reducing the need for extensive disassembly and replacement.

Problems solved by technology

Such gas turbine engines, typically mounted on the wing of an aircraft, are frequently damaged by foreign objects, such as sand particles, stones, or other objects ingested by the engine during takeoff.
These foreign objects ingested by the air turbine engine often cause generally V-shaped nicks or chips on impact along the leading edge of the affected turbine blades.
This procedure is time-consuming and extremely expensive.
The apparatus disclosed in this patent is difficult to use and subject to failure due to the configuration and operation of the apparatus.

Method used

the structure of the environmentally friendly knitted fabric provided by the present invention; figure 2 Flow chart of the yarn wrapping machine for environmentally friendly knitted fabrics and storage devices; image 3 Is the parameter map of the yarn covering machine
View more

Image

Smart Image Click on the blue labels to locate them in the text.
Viewing Examples
Smart Image
  • Rotary Grinding Apparatus For Blending Defects on Turbine Blades and Associated Method of Use
  • Rotary Grinding Apparatus For Blending Defects on Turbine Blades and Associated Method of Use
  • Rotary Grinding Apparatus For Blending Defects on Turbine Blades and Associated Method of Use

Examples

Experimental program
Comparison scheme
Effect test

Embodiment Construction

[0034] Referring to the drawings and particularly to FIG. 1, there is illustrated a grinding apparatus 10 including an air supply 12, an air supply line 13 and a grinding tool 14 for use with an endoscope 16. The endoscope 16 has an eyepiece 17 at the end of a tube 19 and an articulated lens end 20 moveable via movement of a lever 18 on the eyepiece 17, as is known in the art. Any other sort of viewer such as a video viewer may be used in place of the eyepiece 17 to view or display data. Preferably, the endoscope 16 is used with a light source 22. Although one type of endoscope is illustrated and described, the grinding apparatus 10 may be used with many different types of endoscopes.

[0035] The grinding apparatus 10 of the present invention is used for blending or retouching a defect, notch or nick 24 along the leading edge 26 of a turbine blade 28 secured to a drum 30 (only partially shown) in a manner known in the art. The drum 30 and turbine blades 28 attached thereto are mounti...

the structure of the environmentally friendly knitted fabric provided by the present invention; figure 2 Flow chart of the yarn wrapping machine for environmentally friendly knitted fabrics and storage devices; image 3 Is the parameter map of the yarn covering machine
Login to View More

PUM

No PUM Login to View More

Abstract

A grinding apparatus for use with an endoscope for viewing and blending defects on a turbine engine blade is provided. In one preferred embodiment a motorized driver causes a grinding head on the end of a grinding tool to rotate at a predetermined speed. The position of the grinding head is fixed via the operator via a trigger on the grinding tool which articulates an outer portion of a support tube of the grinding tool.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11 / 069,625 filed Mar. 1, 2005 entitled “Rotary Grinding Apparatus for Blending Defects on Turbine Blades and Associated Method of Use”. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11 / 069,625 is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 715,946 filed Nov. 18, 2003 entitled “Grinding Apparatus for Blending Defects on Turbine Blades and Associated Method of Use”, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,899,593. Both of these applications / documents are fully incorporated by reference herein.FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates to apparatus for blending defects on turbine blades such as, for example, nicks and notches. More particularly, this invention relates to a grinding apparatus for blending defects on turbine blades using an endoscope to view the defects through observation ports in an engine casing. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] Conventional gas tu...

Claims

the structure of the environmentally friendly knitted fabric provided by the present invention; figure 2 Flow chart of the yarn wrapping machine for environmentally friendly knitted fabrics and storage devices; image 3 Is the parameter map of the yarn covering machine
Login to View More

Application Information

Patent Timeline
no application Login to View More
Patent Type & AuthorityApplications(United States)
IPC IPC(8): B24B49/00B24B19/14B24B27/027
CPCB24B19/14B24B27/027F05D2230/80F01D25/243F05D2260/80F01D5/005
InventorMOELLER, DIETERMOELLER, HEINZ D.MOELLER, DAVID B.
OwnerMOELLER DIETER