Borescope Assembly Spring Shielding for Engine Inspection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The existing borescope assembly installation and removal process is hindered by slider seals slipping into exposed springs, causing delays and potential damage to engine components, leading to operator frustration and compromised operability.
Innovation Solution
A borescope assembly design featuring a washer sleeve and housing sleeve that translate relative to each other, shielding the spring and preventing it from contacting external hardware, along with a collar and seal ring for secure sealing, and a bayonet-type installation mechanism using bushing pins for easy insertion and removal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the borescope assembly uses an exposed spring mechanism for installation and removal, then the assembly can be easily manipulated, but the spring may slip into slider seals causing delays and potential damage
Solution Approach 1:
A protective sleeve is introduced as an intermediary component between the spring and the slider seals. The sleeve contains the spring during insertion and removal operations, preventing the spring from slipping into the seals while still allowing the bayonet-style coupling to function. This mediator resolves the contradiction by enabling easy manipulation without compromising seal reliability.
2Productivity
If the spring is exposed during installation and removal, then the borescope assembly can be quickly installed, but the spring may catch on hardware leading to operator frustration and delays
Solution Approach 1:
The protective sleeve acts as a mediator that guides the spring during insertion and removal, preventing it from catching on external hardware. This eliminates the time delays caused by spring entanglement while maintaining the quick-install capability of the bayonet mechanism, thus improving productivity without increasing loss of time.
3Ease of operation
If the spring is left exposed for easy access, then the borescope assembly can be rapidly deployed, but the spring may slip into seals compromising structural integrity
Solution Approach 1:
The protective sleeve serves as a mediator that shields the slider seals from the spring during installation and removal operations. It allows the operator to easily install and remove the borescope assembly while preventing the spring from slipping into and damaging the seal structure, thus resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and prevention of harmful effects.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
AI summary
A borescope assembly (200) comprises a spring (216), a housing sleeve (224), a washer sleeve (220) at least partially nested within the housing sleeve (224), and a plug (204) coupled to the housing sleeve (224), where the spring (216) is completely contained within the housing sleeve (224) and the washer sleeve (220). A system for an engine (100) defined about an axial centerline (104) comprises an inner case (166) that includes a bushing (304), a duct case (162) radially outward of the inner case (166) with respect to the axial centerline (104), a seal (162a) located on the duct case (162), and a borescope assembly (200) that traverses the seal (162a) and the bushing (304) in mounting to the inner case (166), the borescope assembly (200) including: a spring (216), a housing sleeve (224), and a washer sleeve (220) at least partially nested within the housing sleeve (224), where the spring (216) is isolated from the seal (162a) by the housing sleeve (224) and the washer sleeve (220) such that the spring (216) is contact-free with respect to the seal (162a).