Cooling Hole Breakthrough Detection Using Air Change Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Turbine engine components with cooling holes drilled using lasers often suffer from unintended breakthrough, causing damage to features beneath the surface due to the lack of effective breakthrough detection methods.
Innovation Solution
A detection system comprising a data acquisition system with sensors and a processor that monitors air changes near cooling holes during laser drilling, allowing the system to stop drilling when a breakthrough is detected, thereby preventing damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If laser drilling is performed without breakthrough detection, then drilling speed is maintained, but damage occurs to features beneath the component surface
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors air pressure, flow, and temperature during laser drilling and uses this feedback to detect breakthrough events. When breakthrough is detected through sensor data analysis, the system automatically adjusts or stops the drilling process, preventing damage to underlying features while maintaining efficient drilling operation.
Solution Approach 2:
Air serves as an intermediary medium to detect breakthrough. The air supply system introduces air through cooling holes, and sensors detect changes in air pressure, flow, or temperature that indicate when the laser has drilled through the component, providing a non-contact detection method that doesn't interfere with the drilling process.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If breakthrough detection systems are implemented, then damage to underlying features is prevented, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The air supply system serves multiple functions: it provides cooling air through the cooling holes during normal operation and simultaneously acts as a detection medium for breakthrough events. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated detection hardware, thereby limiting the increase in system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses existing air flow paths and cooling hole infrastructure to provide breakthrough detection capabilities. By leveraging the already-present air supply system and standard sensors, the detection function is achieved without requiring entirely new specialized components, thus minimizing added complexity.
3Measurement precision
If multiple sensors are used for detection, then measurement accuracy is improved, but cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
Air acts as a sensing intermediary that transmits breakthrough information through changes in pressure, flow, or temperature. By monitoring these air property changes with sensors positioned in the air supply path, the system achieves accurate breakthrough detection without requiring direct contact sensors at the drilling location, thereby reducing the total number of sensors needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The system detects breakthrough by monitoring changes in air parameters (pressure, flow rate, temperature) rather than using multiple physical sensors at the drill site. This approach achieves high measurement precision through parameter monitoring of a single air stream, reducing the quantity of sensors required compared to direct measurement methods.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method enhances the efficiency and accuracy of cooling hole drilling, reduces damage to underlying components, and provides cost-effective protection by using air pressure, flow, and temperature measurements to detect breakthroughs.
Implementation Method 1
a laser device to drill a first of the cooling holes into the outer surface of the component, wherein the laser device emits a number of laser beam pulses during operation
Implementation Method 2
an air supply system coupled in flow communication to a back surface of each of the plurality of cooling holes... detect an air change in air proximate the first cooling hole from the air supply system
Data Source
AI summary
A detection system for use with a component is provided. The component includes a plurality of cooling holes located on an outer surface of the component and an air supply system coupled in flow communication to a back surface of each of the plurality of cooling holes. The detection system includes a data acquisition system including at least one sensor and a processor. The processor is configured to cause a laser device to drill a first of the cooling holes, detect an air change in air proximate the first cooling hole from the air supply system based on data received from the at least one sensor, wherein the air change is indicative of a drilling breakthrough of the back surface of the first cooling hole, and operate the laser device to stop drilling the first cooling hole based on the detected air change.