Virtual Blade Inspection for Turbomachine Contact Gaps

Solution Overview

Problem

The current machine inspection process for turbomachine blades is labor-intensive and time-consuming, particularly in measuring and adjusting contact gaps and detecting structural deformations such as axial, radial, and twist deformations, which affects the efficiency and suitability of blade engagement.

Innovation Solution

A computerized method and system for virtually inspecting blade stages using a digitizing device to create three-dimensional models, extracting geometric location data, and generating virtual renderings of contact gaps and deformations, allowing for the identification and measurement of contact gaps, axial, radial, and twist deformations without physical assembly, and enabling modification to reduce these issues.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If physical assembly and shimming of all blades is performed for inspection, then contact gap measurement accuracy is improved, but inspection time and labor intensity increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontact gap measurement accuracyVSAvoidinspection time

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates a virtual copy (3D digital model) of the blade stage that replicates all geometric features including shroud positions and contact gaps. This virtual model allows inspection measurements to be performed on the digital replica rather than requiring physical assembly of all blades, thereby maintaining measurement accuracy while dramatically reducing inspection time and labor requirements

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces the mechanical inspection system (physical blade assembly, shimming, and manual measurement) with a computational system that processes 3D digital models. The mechanical process of assembling blades and inserting shims is substituted by automated algorithms that calculate contact gaps from digital geometry data, eliminating the time-consuming physical manipulation while preserving measurement precision

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Difficulty of detecting and measuring

If physical assembly and shimming of all blades is performed for inspection, then contact gap detection capability is improved, but labor intensity increases significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontact gap detection capabilityVSAvoidlabor intensity

Core Design Contradiction:

Difficulty of detecting and measuringVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates a virtual copy (3D digital model) of the blade stage that replicates all geometric features including shroud positions and contact gaps. This virtual model allows inspection measurements to be performed on the digital replica rather than requiring physical assembly of all blades, thereby maintaining measurement accuracy while dramatically reducing inspection time and labor requirements

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces the mechanical inspection system (physical blade assembly, shimming, and manual measurement) with a computational system that processes 3D digital models. The mechanical process of assembling blades and inserting shims is substituted by automated algorithms that calculate contact gaps from digital geometry data, eliminating the time-consuming physical manipulation while preserving measurement precision

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Reliability

If traditional inspection method is used, then comprehensive deformation detection is improved, but inspection process complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedeformation detection comprehensivenessVSAvoidinspection process complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a universal 3D digital modeling approach that can detect multiple types of deformations (axial, radial, twist) through a single integrated process. The same digitizing and modeling methodology used for contact gap measurement also reveals all structural deformations, eliminating the need for separate inspection procedures for each deformation type and thereby reducing overall process complexity while maintaining comprehensive detection capability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentEP3324150B1Virtual blade inspection

Publication Date: 2019.09.11 GENERAL ELECTRIC CO

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AI summary

A system and method for virtually inspecting a blade stage (154) is disclosed. The system may include a digitizing device (130) for obtaining a three-dimensional model (132) of a shroud (134, 134A, 134B, 152) of each blade (140) of the blade stage (154). A computer system may include at least one module configured to perform the following processes: extract a geometric location data of a plurality of reference points of each shroud (134, 134A, 134B, 152) from a three-dimensional model (132) of a shroud (134, 134A, 134B, 152) of each blade (140) of the blade stage (154) created by digitizing using a digitizing device (130); generate a 3D virtual rendering (150) of the shrouds (134, 134A, 134B, 152) of the blade stage (154) based on the geometric location data and the known dimensions of the blade stage (154), the three-dimensional virtual rendering (150) including a rendering of the plurality of reference points of each shroud (134, 134A, 134B, 152); and inspect the blade stage (154) using the three-dimensional virtual rendering (150).