Extremely fast and accurate CT based inspection
The new GE blade|line X-ray CT inspection and measurement system
enables fast, high quality imaging of complex, advanced technology
engine components such as high pressure turbine blades.
blade|line: fast, precise and compact
Key benets:
• Fast&ecient-upto30parts/hour(whilecapturingup
to 10 CT slices per part)
• Accurate&repeatable-compliancewithMAIAordable
CT Guidelines, demonstrating measurement capability of
± 5% or 0.001 inch
• Dataintegrity&security-DICONDEworkowand
long-term data management
• Lowcostofownership-maintenance-freeconnectors
and sealed X-ray tube versus open tube
• Increasedproductivityduetohighthroughput,low
inspection time and costs per blade
As aircraft engine performance requirements become
more stringent, turbine blade cooling schemes advance
andrequirecomplexmulti-wallcastingsthatintroduce
newinspectionchallenges.Thenewinspection
challenges require a shift from previous methods of
measuringwallthicknessesandcreateaneedforCT
technologytomeasurethenewmulti-wallstructures.
Foreachslice,asetofX-raylineprolesareacquiredwhile
continuously rotating the blade in the collimated X-ray fan beam.
ThelineprolesacquiredbyGE’sJupiterlineardetectorarray,
featuringhighresolutionwithextremelyhighread-outspeeds,
contain information on the position of the external and internal
bladesurfacesaswellasinternalcastingaws.Thisdataisused
to reconstruct the tomographic slice image.
By vertically shifting the sample through the fan beam, the
required number of CT slices is compiled and analyzed at the
GERhythmReviewWorkstation.
GE’s Jupiter Linear Detector Array (LDA)
TheJupiterLDAspecicallydesignedforhigh
throughput, high precision fan beam imaging. The
GEJupiterLDAdetectorisexclusivelyoeredby
Inspection Technologies.
When compared with conventional cone beam CT, highly collimated fan beam CT oers improved resolution, as well as, a higher
quality CT slice result, due to the reduction of image artifacts caused by scattered radiation.
ThenewGEbladeIlineX-rayCTsystem
answersastrongindustryneed,asitis
specicallydesignedtoinspectthese
ultra-complex, next generation
aerospace turbine blade castings.
Withfastinspectionspeedsandcrisp
imagequality,thesystembuildsonGE’s
extensive expertise and decades of
experience in the aircraft engine business.
Reconstruction of the CT slices
Robotic sample
manipulation
Turbine blade
GE Jupiter linear
detector array
X-ray fan beam
Wall Thickness Analysis
Blade rotation
X-ray projection
images
Acquisition of
slice projections
DICONDE data management
ISOVOLT Titan
450 kV X-ray source
Internal wall thickness
measurements
on a simulated
turbine blade