Blisk inspection

Measuring System: MicroCam: µCam-3D, µCam-4D
Keywords: aeronautics, aviation, bladed disks, IBRs, integrally bladed rotors

In aviation mechanics, a blisk (also known as an integrally bladed rotor, IBR) is an engine compressor component comprising of a rotor disc and blades. A blisk can be machined from a solid piece of material or made by welding individual blades to the rotor disk. Turbine blades are pre-drilled with minute cooling holes that present a sudden and sharp edge in the scanned surface and may be problematic for many 3D measurement technologies.

Novacam’s fiber-based low coherence 3D profilometers easily reach with fiber-based probes between blisk blades to acquire high-precision 3D measurements:

  • A fiber-based 3 mm side-viewing probe is mounted onto a robotic arm to automate the blisk blade inspection process (below left).
  • The probe scans in a collinear fashion – the laser beam is emitted and received along an identical axis – and therefore does not require an angle to measure sharp edges. The size and incident angle of the miniscule cooling holes can thus be determined.
  • The acquired blade surface data may be imported into CAD software for defect detection (below center and below right)

Fiber-based 3mm side-viewing probe on a robotic arm inspects blisk surfaces.

Fiber-based 3mm side-viewing probe on a robotic arm inspects blisk surfaces.

Scanned 3D part to CAD Analysis

Acquired 3D part to CAD analysis

Defect Identification and Classification

Defect identification and classification

Advantage of scanning with fiber-based probes

Novacam 3D profilometers scan with fiber-based non-contact probes. The probes

  • deploy at a distance from the detector, without signal degradation
  • are rugged enough to withstand hostile environments
  • allow for flexible in-process set-up
  • come in a range of sizes and designs to suit each particular application