Blade Scanning

Turbine blades are found in many places and in many sizes. Be it small or large they are used in jet engines, wind mills and power generators to name a few. The complicated free form shape of a turbine blade creates many challenges for a manufacturer to guarantee maximum efficiency in the blades operation. Ensuring that their finished part matches the original design specifications is of the utmost importance. Blade design and engineering is one of the most complicated and important aspects of blade technology. Once a blade is scanned the entire blade is captured, not just a selection of points, but a data set that will be relative to the CAD nominal. This entire part is then compared to existing CAD Data to ensure original design specifications are met.

Reverse Engineering
Reverse Engineering of a turbine blade is feasible through scanning – both contact and non-contact. When scanning a blade the measurement data is aligned to the rotor blade coordinate system. This allows for the easy comparison of scan data back to the nominal CAD model. This comparison will show the twist of the blade as well as leading edge contour deviations in an as manufactured condition. The irregular free form curves of a turbine blade are difficult to capture with traditional inspection methods. Scanning of a free form blade for a wind turbine can be a very time consuming process considering the overall surface area of the blade itself. But the data gathered is invaluable as maximum efficiency and safety are paramount in the turbine blade industry. This data is used as the foundation to improve or redesign certain components as well as recreate missing CAD data.

Repair & Maintenance
When conducting interim tests for wear and damage, the process doesn’t have to be as long and arduous. Instead of reverse engineering the whole turbine blade, cross sections can be measured at predetermined increments and compared to the nominal data or previously captured scan data. Measurement and alignment to the blade coordinate system ensures the individual cross section is analyzed where it should be. Worn or damaged turbine blades can be scanned to gather data for engineers to analyze wear and tear patterns as well as aid in solving issues related to failure.

In addition to maintenance on the turbine blade, the tooling used to create the turbine blade requires inspection and subsequent repairs and maintenance. The data gathered by laser scanning can be used to repair, maintain, validate and monitor moulds and castings used in the manufacturing process of the turbine blade. As technology and innovation grow, the original tooling may require modifications or rework. Rather than create a new tool, modifications can be made to the existing tool to bring it up to date. This new mould can now be scanned and the obsolete CAD data updated to the current new CAD design.

CMM can…
Canadian Measurement-Metrology recognizes the challenges and intricacies associated with the manufacturing and measurement of turbine blades. Our customers have relied on our expert opinion for over 20 years for the inspection of their blades. The use of our scanning Global CMM with Renishaw SP25 or SP600 with PCDMIS Blade software have helped our customers implement a lean and effective manufacturing process for turbine blade design, manufacturing, and further development. Customers like GE, Rolls-Royce, and Pratt & Whitney, to name a few, have turned to Canadian Measurement-Metrology for our expertise. Large wind turbine blades can be measured using our Leica Portable CMM (PCMM) in the field. When the job is too big to bring to us – we come to you. With unparalleled accuracies, the Leica PCMM provides scan data to compare back to the original CAD design and aid in the analysis of the actual part compared to CAD. From our large DEA Delta Gantry CMM to our mid-size Zeiss Prismo, we have the scanning equipment, both contact and non-contact, to address the measurement and reverse engineering requirements in an ever growing turbine blade industry.