Articulating Micro Drill for In-Situ Repair in Confined Machinery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for inspecting and repairing large machinery, such as aircraft engines and turbines, are inefficient and costly due to the difficulty in accessing internal components, leading to destructive and time-consuming processes for identifying and correcting flaws.
Innovation Solution
A high-speed micro drill attached to an articulating guide tube with rubber tubing and various drill bits, allowing for grinding, blending, drilling, polishing, and cutting in constrained spaces, facilitated by a multidirectional articulation control unit for precise placement and operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional drills are used for inspection and repair, then direct access to internal components is required, but this leads to destructive dismantling and time-consuming processes
Solution Approach 1:
The device segments the inspection and repair functions by using a flexible articulating guide tube that can be inserted through existing access points, separating the need for complete dismantling from the need for internal component access. The guide tube acts as a segmented pathway allowing tools to reach internal components without destroying the overall structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The high-speed micro drill and various attachments are nested within the articulating guide tube structure. The drill bit, grinding wheel, and other tools can be inserted through the guide tube to reach internal components, allowing repair operations without external dismantling of the machinery.
2Ease of operation
If machinery is dismantled for direct inspection, then internal components become accessible, but this increases cost and complexity of the repair process
Solution Approach 1:
The articulating guide tube serves as an intermediary device that bridges the gap between external access points and internal components. This mediator allows tools and inspection devices to reach otherwise inaccessible areas without requiring complex dismantling procedures or complete disassembly of the machinery.
Solution Approach 2:
The articulating guide tube incorporates dynamic articulation capabilities with multiple degrees of freedom, allowing it to bend and adjust to reach internal components through constrained access points. This dynamic flexibility simplifies the access process compared to static dismantling requirements.
3Productivity
If traditional inspection methods are used, then visual examination can be performed, but simultaneous repair capability is lacking
Solution Approach 1:
The device combines multiple functions into a single universal tool system. The articulating guide tube can accommodate various attachments including inspection borescopes, high-speed micro drills, grinding wheels, and polishing tools, allowing both inspection and repair operations to be performed through the same access point without requiring separate equipment or procedures.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention discloses an industrial high speed micro drill that is made to access remote and inaccessible locations in order to blend, grind, polish and cut materials and parts as determined by visual inspection powered via a pneumatic power source. The high speed drill is deployed by a controlled, articulating guide tube that acts in a multidirectional fashion to direct the action of the assemblage and allow for discrete manipulation of the pneumatically powered drill while harboring a channel and pneumatic power source carrying rubber tubing.