WO2022104304A1 - Titanium blade erosion mapping using full matrix capture/total focusing method - Google Patents

Titanium blade erosion mapping using full matrix capture/total focusing method Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2022104304A1
WO2022104304A1 PCT/US2021/071574 US2021071574W WO2022104304A1 WO 2022104304 A1 WO2022104304 A1 WO 2022104304A1 US 2021071574 W US2021071574 W US 2021071574W WO 2022104304 A1 WO2022104304 A1 WO 2022104304A1
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WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
turbine blade
destructive
scanned image
turbine
ultrasonic
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US2021/071574
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
El Mahjoub Rasselkorde
Larry HIMES
Brian ZIEMS
James Alford
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Siemens Energy, Inc.
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Application filed by Siemens Energy, Inc. filed Critical Siemens Energy, Inc.
Publication of WO2022104304A1 publication Critical patent/WO2022104304A1/en

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Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
    • G01N29/00—Investigating or analysing materials by the use of ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves; Visualisation of the interior of objects by transmitting ultrasonic or sonic waves through the object
    • G01N29/22—Details, e.g. general constructional or apparatus details
    • G01N29/26—Arrangements for orientation or scanning by relative movement of the head and the sensor
    • G01N29/262—Arrangements for orientation or scanning by relative movement of the head and the sensor by electronic orientation or focusing, e.g. with phased arrays
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
    • G01N29/00—Investigating or analysing materials by the use of ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves; Visualisation of the interior of objects by transmitting ultrasonic or sonic waves through the object
    • G01N29/04—Analysing solids
    • G01N29/043—Analysing solids in the interior, e.g. by shear waves
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
    • G01N29/00—Investigating or analysing materials by the use of ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves; Visualisation of the interior of objects by transmitting ultrasonic or sonic waves through the object
    • G01N29/04—Analysing solids
    • G01N29/06—Visualisation of the interior, e.g. acoustic microscopy
    • G01N29/0654—Imaging
    • G01N29/069—Defect imaging, localisation and sizing using, e.g. time of flight diffraction [TOFD], synthetic aperture focusing technique [SAFT], Amplituden-Laufzeit-Ortskurven [ALOK] technique
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
    • G01N29/00—Investigating or analysing materials by the use of ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves; Visualisation of the interior of objects by transmitting ultrasonic or sonic waves through the object
    • G01N29/44—Processing the detected response signal, e.g. electronic circuits specially adapted therefor
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
    • G01N2291/00—Indexing codes associated with group G01N29/00
    • G01N2291/02—Indexing codes associated with the analysed material
    • G01N2291/025—Change of phase or condition
    • G01N2291/0258—Structural degradation, e.g. fatigue of composites, ageing of oils
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
    • G01N2291/00—Indexing codes associated with group G01N29/00
    • G01N2291/04—Wave modes and trajectories
    • G01N2291/044—Internal reflections (echoes), e.g. on walls or defects
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
    • G01N2291/00—Indexing codes associated with group G01N29/00
    • G01N2291/10—Number of transducers
    • G01N2291/106—Number of transducers one or more transducer arrays
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
    • G01N2291/00—Indexing codes associated with group G01N29/00
    • G01N2291/26—Scanned objects
    • G01N2291/269—Various geometry objects
    • G01N2291/2693—Rotor or turbine parts
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01S—RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES
    • G01S15/00—Systems using the reflection or reradiation of acoustic waves, e.g. sonar systems
    • G01S15/88—Sonar systems specially adapted for specific applications
    • G01S15/89—Sonar systems specially adapted for specific applications for mapping or imaging
    • G01S15/8906—Short-range imaging systems; Acoustic microscope systems using pulse-echo techniques
    • G01S15/8993—Three dimensional imaging systems

Definitions

  • Last stage turbine blades comprising titanium (Ti) experience erosion at both the leading and the trailing edge due to steam flow during operation.
  • the severity of the erosion can be determined by the aid of non-destructive examination (NDE) such as visual inspection (VT) and liquid penetrant inspection (PT) without the removal of the blades from the turbine rotor.
  • NDE non-destructive examination
  • VT visual inspection
  • PT liquid penetrant inspection
  • a non-destructive method for a volumetric inspection of a turbine blade includes the steps of positioning an ultrasonic phased array probe to a desired position on the turbine blade for generation of a scan of a portion of the turbine blade, scanning a surface of the turbine blade using a focused ultrasonic beam, generating a turbine blade scanned image at least in part from the scanning step, and detecting an indication on a volume of the turbine blade utilizing a Full Matrix Capture (FMC)/Total Focusing Method (TFM) with the turbine blade installed in the turbine rotor.
  • FMC and TFM are data processing techniques in the field of ultrasonic inspection.
  • a system for non-destructive volumetric inspection of a turbine blade includes a phased array probe including multiple elements disposed on a surface of the turbine blade for scanning a surface of the turbine blade using a focused ultrasonic beam and a computer processor operably connected to the phased array probe, the computer processor operates to run an algorithm on data obtained from the scanning that utilizes a FMC/TFM method to detect indications on a volume of the turbine blade with the turbine blade installed in the turbine rotor.
  • FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic of the FMC/TFM methodology.
  • FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of a turbine blade.
  • FIG. 3 illustrates a zoomed in view of the trailing edge of the turbine blade.
  • FIG. 4 illustrates a side view of an ultrasonic probe on a surface of a turbine blade.
  • FIG. 5 illustrates a side view of an ultrasonic probe on a surface of a turbine blade.
  • FIG. 6 illustrates an ultrasonic scanned image of the trailing edge of turbine blade of FIG. 3.
  • FIG. 7 illustrates a cross sectional image of a sample component block with two corresponding ultrasonic scanned images.
  • FIG. 8 illustrates a cross sectional image of a trailing edge of a turbine blade showing erosion.
  • Embedded flaws in last stage turbine blades such as cracking can grow during operation and lead to catastrophic failure. Additionally, there is no record of the examination except for some photographs that are taken during the inspection. The current process also includes taking molds or dental castings of the erosion areas. The molds are used to characterize the erosion. Thus, the documentation of these types of examinations may be challenging when inspecting a large number of blades.
  • Full Matrix Capture is a data collection technology utilizing a phased array probe including a plurality of vibration producing elements in which every element is pulsed in a sequence and where the scanned data is collected for each combination of pulsing and receiving elements.
  • the Total Focusing Method is a post processing algorithm that uses the FMC collected data to generate a frame of pixels where each pixel is computed using a dedicated focused focal law. Contrary to PT examination which can only detect surface indication, this technique uses a highly focused beam inside an area of interest of a component and produces a high-resolution scan of the area of interest. A side-by- side comparison (as shown in FIG. 7) clearly shows that utilizing FMC/TFM provides an image with much better resolution and improved flaw detection.
  • FIG. 1 The FMC/TFM methodology 100 is shown in FIG. 1.
  • the upper portion of FIG. 1 illustrates a phased array probe 102 comprising a plurality of elements 104 arranged to scan a component surface 108.
  • Each element 104 in the phased array probe 102 is pulsed (used as a transmitting element) one after the other while all other elements 104 including the transmitter (T) are used as a receiver (R).
  • a pulsing sequence of the elements 104 may be seen in the mid portion of the FIG. 1.
  • the transmitter (T) element 104 is shown as both a transmitter and receiver. Scanned data is collected for each combination of the transmitting and receiving elements 104.
  • the TFM utilizes the collected data to generate a frame of pixels 106 representing the scanned data as illustrated in the FIG. 1.
  • FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a turbine blade 200.
  • the turbine blade 200 comprises an airfoil 202 and a blade root 204.
  • the turbine blade 200 includes a suction side 212 and a pressure side 210.
  • the turbine blade 200 includes a thickness (ti) of 3-8 mm.
  • a fluid flows around the turbine blade 200 from the leading edge 208 to the trailing edge 206.
  • steam flow around the turbine blade 200 can cause erosion concentrated at both the leading edge 208 and/or the trailing edge 206. The most severe erosion typically occurs at or near the trailing edge 206.
  • different forces, such as high cycle fatigue can lead to defects such as cracking in both the airfoil 202 and the blade root 204.
  • the turbine blade 200 comprises titanium.
  • the titanium blade may comprise TieAhV.
  • FIG. 3 shows indications, cracking 302 and erosion 304, at the trailing edge 206 of the turbine blade 200.
  • the top view shows the trailing edge 206 of the turbine blade 200 viewed from the pressure side 210, while the bottom view shows the trailing edge 206 viewed from the suction side 212.
  • a visual inspection of the turbine blade 200 illustrates cracking 302 on the trailing edge 206 shown from the pressure side 210. Viewing the trailing edge 206 from the suction side 212, one can visually see erosion 304 on the suction side 212.
  • the visual inspection can only detect surface breaking indications and not embedded indications. For example, indications, such as cracking 302, in the blade root 204 are hidden when the turbine blade 200 is in the assembled position. For this reason, nondestructive volumetric methods to detect indications and quantify the extent of these indications are sought.
  • FIG. 4 illustrates a side view of an ultrasonic probe 402 positioned on a surface 108 of the turbine blade 200.
  • the ultrasonic probe 402 may be positioned to a desired position on the surface 108 of the turbine blade 200 for generation of a scan of a portion of the turbine blade 200.
  • the ultrasonic probe 402 may be an ultrasonic phased array probe with multiple elements 104.
  • the ultrasonic probe 402 may be positioned within a probe holder in order to maintain an offset between the ultrasonic probe 402 and the surface 108 of the turbine blade 200 so that a couplant medium, such as water or a gel, can reside between the ultrasonic probe 402 and the component surface 108 to couple the sound.
  • a couplant medium such as water or a gel
  • the ultrasonic probe 402 is positioned on a first surface of the turbine blade 200 opposite a second surface to be scanned.
  • the ultrasonic probe 402 may be positioned on the pressure side 210 (concave side) of the turbine blade 200 in order to scan the suction side 212 of the turbine blade 200. Material loss due to erosion is generally more severe on the suction side 212 of the turbine blade.
  • the turbine blade 200 of FIG. 4 illustrates the indications of cracking 302 and erosion 304.
  • the cracking 302 extends out to the surface 108 of the turbine blade 200.
  • the ultrasonic probe 402 emits a focused ultrasonic beam 404.
  • the ultrasonic probe 402 is connected via a line to an ultrasonic signal source and a receiver (not shown) as is known to one of skill in the art.
  • the ultrasonic signal source generates a pulsed signal making a transmitter element 104 of the ultrasonic probe 402 vibrate.
  • the vibration generates ultrasonic waves which travel through the material of the turbine blade 200 at a fixed angle to the component surface 108 of the turbine blade 200 so that a volumetric examination of the turbine blade 200 may be performed.
  • the ultrasonic waves are reflected back from the indications and the boundary of the turbine blade 200.
  • the elements 104 of the ultrasonic probe 402 receive the returned ultrasonic waves.
  • the receiver receives these returned ultrasonic waves and generates a scan of the turbine blade 200.
  • FIG. 5 illustrates a side view of the ultrasonic probe 402 positioned on the surface 108 of the turbine blade 200.
  • FIG. 5 also illustrates the ultrasonic scanned image 502 of the location underneath the ultrasonic probe 402 within the volume of the turbine blade 200.
  • the central portion of ultrasonic scanned image 504 illustrates the highest energy in the scan indicating where the indication is located.
  • the ultrasonic scanned image 502 includes a scanned volume of the turbine blade 200 that includes a depth of the turbine blade in a range from 0.1 mm below the surface of the turbine blade to the opposite surface.
  • the opposite surface may be in a range of 5mm to 8mm from the component surface 108 shown on FIG. 5 as t2.
  • FIG. 6 illustrates an ultrasonic scanned image 502 of the turbine blade trailing edge 206 shown in FIG. 3 using the total focusing method (TFM).
  • the right side of the ultrasonic scanned image 502 illustrates the pressure side 210 of the trailing edge 206 and the left side of the ultrasonic scanned image 502 illustrates the suction side 212 of the trailing edge 206.
  • erosion 304 may be seen corresponding to that shown within the rectangle in FIG. 3.
  • Cracking 302 shown in both rectangles of the suction side 212 and the pressure side 210 of FIG. 3 may also be seen in the ultrasonic scanned image 502 of
  • FIG. 7 illustrates a comparison of two ultrasonic images of a sample component block 700.
  • the sample component block 700 includes a plurality of defects 702.
  • Below the illustrated turbine blade 200 is a side-by-side comparison of two ultrasonic images of the sample component block 700 with a visual representation of the defects 702.
  • On the right side is an ultrasonic scanned image 502 utilizing conventional phased array ultrasound.
  • On the left side is an ultrasonic scanned images 502 utilizing the FMC/TFM method.
  • the defects 702 can be seen in the image on the right, however, are slightly blurry and not as sharp and distinct as the representation of the defects 702 in the ultrasonic scanned image 502 on the left.
  • the FMC/TFM method pixel size may be as low as 0.03 mm.
  • the scanned data utilizing the method can be captured with this increased resolution every 0.2 mm - 0.5 mm along the trailing edge 206 of the sample component block, for example.
  • the increased resolution is needed to accurately characterize the pattern of erosion 304 in the ultrasonic scanned images 502.
  • a mapping can be done of the indications, i.e., erosion 304 and/or cracking 302 of the scanned turbine blade 200.
  • FIG. 8 illustrates a cross sectional representation of the trailing edge 206 of a turbine blade 200 with the erosion 304 pattern mapped onto the trailing edge 206.
  • the mapping of the erosion 304 can be done utilizing a measurement of the extent of the erosion 304 from the ultrasonic scanned image 502 and the remaining wall thickness ti of the trailing edge 206.
  • the mapping of the indication can be compared to a previous scanned image of the turbine blade at the same location to determine a difference in the indication that has occurred since the previous scanned image was generated.
  • the proposed method and system embodies a non-destructive inspection of the volume of a turbine blade utilizing a FMC/TFM ultrasonic method.
  • Traditional ultrasonic phased array examinations can detect the presence of erosion, but typically cannot accurately characterize the erosion profile due to practical limitations of the physics of the method.
  • the proposed method provides exceptional scanning resolution in a thin material, such as a trailing edge of a turbine blade.

Abstract

A non-destructive method for a volumetric inspection of a turbine blade is presented. The method includes positioning an ultrasonic phased array probe to a desired position on the turbine blade for generation of a scan of a portion of the turbine blade, scanning a surface of the turbine blade using a focused ultrasonic beam, generating a turbine blade scanned image at least in part from the scanning step, and detecting an indication on a volume of the turbine blade utilizing a full matrix capture/total focusing method with the turbine blade installed in the turbine rotor.

Description

TITANIUM BLADE EROSION MAPPING USING FULL MATRIX CAPTURE/TOTAL
FOCUSING METHOD
BACKGROUND
[0001] Last stage turbine blades comprising titanium (Ti) experience erosion at both the leading and the trailing edge due to steam flow during operation. The severity of the erosion can be determined by the aid of non-destructive examination (NDE) such as visual inspection (VT) and liquid penetrant inspection (PT) without the removal of the blades from the turbine rotor. These NDE examinations are limited to surface indications only.
BRIEF SUMMARY
[0002] In one aspect, a non-destructive method for a volumetric inspection of a turbine blade includes the steps of positioning an ultrasonic phased array probe to a desired position on the turbine blade for generation of a scan of a portion of the turbine blade, scanning a surface of the turbine blade using a focused ultrasonic beam, generating a turbine blade scanned image at least in part from the scanning step, and detecting an indication on a volume of the turbine blade utilizing a Full Matrix Capture (FMC)/Total Focusing Method (TFM) with the turbine blade installed in the turbine rotor. FMC and TFM are data processing techniques in the field of ultrasonic inspection.
[0003] In a second aspect, a system for non-destructive volumetric inspection of a turbine blade includes a phased array probe including multiple elements disposed on a surface of the turbine blade for scanning a surface of the turbine blade using a focused ultrasonic beam and a computer processor operably connected to the phased array probe, the computer processor operates to run an algorithm on data obtained from the scanning that utilizes a FMC/TFM method to detect indications on a volume of the turbine blade with the turbine blade installed in the turbine rotor. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0004] To easily identify the discussion of any particular element or act, the most significant digit or digits in a reference number refer to the figure number in which that element is first introduced.
[0005] FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic of the FMC/TFM methodology.
[0006] FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of a turbine blade.
[0007] FIG. 3 illustrates a zoomed in view of the trailing edge of the turbine blade.
[0008] FIG. 4 illustrates a side view of an ultrasonic probe on a surface of a turbine blade.
[0009] FIG. 5 illustrates a side view of an ultrasonic probe on a surface of a turbine blade.
[0010] FIG. 6 illustrates an ultrasonic scanned image of the trailing edge of turbine blade of FIG. 3.
[0011] FIG. 7 illustrates a cross sectional image of a sample component block with two corresponding ultrasonic scanned images.
[0012] FIG. 8 illustrates a cross sectional image of a trailing edge of a turbine blade showing erosion.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0013] Embedded flaws in last stage turbine blades such as cracking can grow during operation and lead to catastrophic failure. Additionally, there is no record of the examination except for some photographs that are taken during the inspection. The current process also includes taking molds or dental castings of the erosion areas. The molds are used to characterize the erosion. Thus, the documentation of these types of examinations may be challenging when inspecting a large number of blades.
[0014] Cracking that initiates from the erosion area at the trailing edge may propagate from the convex surface to the concave side of the blade and lead to catastrophic failure of the blade. Mapping of the erosion pattern, measuring the extent of the erosion and the remaining wall thickness is important for the detection of cracking inside the blade airfoil. A volumetric inspection of the trailing edge area of the blades can help determine the existence of cracking before its growth reaches to the rupture of the blade. The invention embodies a non-destructive volumetric inspection system designed to scan the trailing edge area without removal of the turbine blades.
[0015] Full Matrix Capture (FMC) is a data collection technology utilizing a phased array probe including a plurality of vibration producing elements in which every element is pulsed in a sequence and where the scanned data is collected for each combination of pulsing and receiving elements.
[0016] The Total Focusing Method (TFM) is a post processing algorithm that uses the FMC collected data to generate a frame of pixels where each pixel is computed using a dedicated focused focal law. Contrary to PT examination which can only detect surface indication, this technique uses a highly focused beam inside an area of interest of a component and produces a high-resolution scan of the area of interest. A side-by- side comparison (as shown in FIG. 7) clearly shows that utilizing FMC/TFM provides an image with much better resolution and improved flaw detection.
[0017] The FMC/TFM methodology 100 is shown in FIG. 1. The upper portion of FIG. 1 illustrates a phased array probe 102 comprising a plurality of elements 104 arranged to scan a component surface 108. Each element 104 in the phased array probe 102 is pulsed (used as a transmitting element) one after the other while all other elements 104 including the transmitter (T) are used as a receiver (R). A pulsing sequence of the elements 104 may be seen in the mid portion of the FIG. 1. The transmitter (T) element 104 is shown as both a transmitter and receiver. Scanned data is collected for each combination of the transmitting and receiving elements 104. The TFM utilizes the collected data to generate a frame of pixels 106 representing the scanned data as illustrated in the FIG. 1.
[0018] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a turbine blade 200. The turbine blade 200 comprises an airfoil 202 and a blade root 204. The turbine blade 200 includes a suction side 212 and a pressure side 210. In an embodiment, the turbine blade 200 includes a thickness (ti) of 3-8 mm. A fluid flows around the turbine blade 200 from the leading edge 208 to the trailing edge 206. During operation of the turbine, steam flow around the turbine blade 200 can cause erosion concentrated at both the leading edge 208 and/or the trailing edge 206. The most severe erosion typically occurs at or near the trailing edge 206. Additionally, during operation different forces, such as high cycle fatigue, can lead to defects such as cracking in both the airfoil 202 and the blade root 204. In many instances, cracking cannot be seen with the naked eye, especially cracking within the volume of the turbine blade 200. For the purposes of this disclosure, an indication can refer to cracking, erosion, or other defects on the turbine blades 200 caused during operation. In an embodiment, the turbine blade 200 comprises titanium. In particular, the titanium blade may comprise TieAhV.
[0019] FIG. 3 shows indications, cracking 302 and erosion 304, at the trailing edge 206 of the turbine blade 200. The top view shows the trailing edge 206 of the turbine blade 200 viewed from the pressure side 210, while the bottom view shows the trailing edge 206 viewed from the suction side 212. A visual inspection of the turbine blade 200 illustrates cracking 302 on the trailing edge 206 shown from the pressure side 210. Viewing the trailing edge 206 from the suction side 212, one can visually see erosion 304 on the suction side 212. The visual inspection, however, can only detect surface breaking indications and not embedded indications. For example, indications, such as cracking 302, in the blade root 204 are hidden when the turbine blade 200 is in the assembled position. For this reason, nondestructive volumetric methods to detect indications and quantify the extent of these indications are sought.
[0020] FIG. 4 illustrates a side view of an ultrasonic probe 402 positioned on a surface 108 of the turbine blade 200. The ultrasonic probe 402 may be positioned to a desired position on the surface 108 of the turbine blade 200 for generation of a scan of a portion of the turbine blade 200. The ultrasonic probe 402 may be an ultrasonic phased array probe with multiple elements 104. In an embodiment, the ultrasonic probe 402 may be positioned within a probe holder in order to maintain an offset between the ultrasonic probe 402 and the surface 108 of the turbine blade 200 so that a couplant medium, such as water or a gel, can reside between the ultrasonic probe 402 and the component surface 108 to couple the sound. However, the offset should not be too wide so that the transmission of ultrasonic waves are as free from interference as possible. In an embodiment, the ultrasonic probe 402 is positioned on a first surface of the turbine blade 200 opposite a second surface to be scanned. For example, the ultrasonic probe 402 may be positioned on the pressure side 210 (concave side) of the turbine blade 200 in order to scan the suction side 212 of the turbine blade 200. Material loss due to erosion is generally more severe on the suction side 212 of the turbine blade.
[0021] The turbine blade 200 of FIG. 4 illustrates the indications of cracking 302 and erosion 304. The cracking 302 extends out to the surface 108 of the turbine blade 200. In order to generate a scanned image of a portion of the turbine blade 200, the ultrasonic probe 402 emits a focused ultrasonic beam 404. The ultrasonic probe 402 is connected via a line to an ultrasonic signal source and a receiver (not shown) as is known to one of skill in the art. The ultrasonic signal source generates a pulsed signal making a transmitter element 104 of the ultrasonic probe 402 vibrate. The vibration generates ultrasonic waves which travel through the material of the turbine blade 200 at a fixed angle to the component surface 108 of the turbine blade 200 so that a volumetric examination of the turbine blade 200 may be performed. The ultrasonic waves are reflected back from the indications and the boundary of the turbine blade 200. The elements 104 of the ultrasonic probe 402 receive the returned ultrasonic waves. The receiver receives these returned ultrasonic waves and generates a scan of the turbine blade 200.
[0022] FIG. 5 illustrates a side view of the ultrasonic probe 402 positioned on the surface 108 of the turbine blade 200. FIG. 5 also illustrates the ultrasonic scanned image 502 of the location underneath the ultrasonic probe 402 within the volume of the turbine blade 200. The central portion of ultrasonic scanned image 504 illustrates the highest energy in the scan indicating where the indication is located. The ultrasonic scanned image 502 includes a scanned volume of the turbine blade 200 that includes a depth of the turbine blade in a range from 0.1 mm below the surface of the turbine blade to the opposite surface. The opposite surface may be in a range of 5mm to 8mm from the component surface 108 shown on FIG. 5 as t2.
[0023] FIG. 6 illustrates an ultrasonic scanned image 502 of the turbine blade trailing edge 206 shown in FIG. 3 using the total focusing method (TFM). The right side of the ultrasonic scanned image 502 illustrates the pressure side 210 of the trailing edge 206 and the left side of the ultrasonic scanned image 502 illustrates the suction side 212 of the trailing edge 206. As shown in the right side of the ultrasonic scanned image 502, erosion 304 may be seen corresponding to that shown within the rectangle in FIG. 3. Cracking 302 shown in both rectangles of the suction side 212 and the pressure side 210 of FIG. 3 may also be seen in the ultrasonic scanned image 502 of
FIG. 6.
[0024] FIG. 7 illustrates a comparison of two ultrasonic images of a sample component block 700. In the example, illustrated in a top portion of FIG. 7, the sample component block 700 includes a plurality of defects 702. Below the illustrated turbine blade 200 is a side-by-side comparison of two ultrasonic images of the sample component block 700 with a visual representation of the defects 702. On the right side is an ultrasonic scanned image 502 utilizing conventional phased array ultrasound. On the left side is an ultrasonic scanned images 502 utilizing the FMC/TFM method. The defects 702 can be seen in the image on the right, however, are slightly blurry and not as sharp and distinct as the representation of the defects 702 in the ultrasonic scanned image 502 on the left. Resolution is conventionally measured by the number of pixels horizontal by number of pixels vertical. The FMC/TFM method pixel size may be as low as 0.03 mm. The scanned data utilizing the method can be captured with this increased resolution every 0.2 mm - 0.5 mm along the trailing edge 206 of the sample component block, for example. The increased resolution is needed to accurately characterize the pattern of erosion 304 in the ultrasonic scanned images 502.
[0025] In an embodiment, from the ultrasonic scanned image 502, a mapping can be done of the indications, i.e., erosion 304 and/or cracking 302 of the scanned turbine blade 200. FIG. 8 illustrates a cross sectional representation of the trailing edge 206 of a turbine blade 200 with the erosion 304 pattern mapped onto the trailing edge 206. The mapping of the erosion 304 can be done utilizing a measurement of the extent of the erosion 304 from the ultrasonic scanned image 502 and the remaining wall thickness ti of the trailing edge 206. The mapping of the indication can be compared to a previous scanned image of the turbine blade at the same location to determine a difference in the indication that has occurred since the previous scanned image was generated.
[0026] The proposed method and system embodies a non-destructive inspection of the volume of a turbine blade utilizing a FMC/TFM ultrasonic method. Traditional ultrasonic phased array examinations can detect the presence of erosion, but typically cannot accurately characterize the erosion profile due to practical limitations of the physics of the method. The proposed method provides exceptional scanning resolution in a thin material, such as a trailing edge of a turbine blade.

Claims

CLAIMS What is claimed is:
1. A non-destructive method for a volumetric inspection of a turbine blade, comprising: positioning an ultrasonic phased array probe to a desired position on the turbine blade for generation of a scan of a portion of the turbine blade; scanning a surface of the turbine blade using a focused ultrasonic beam; generating a turbine blade scanned image at least in part from the scanning step; detecting an indication on a volume of the turbine blade utilizing a full matrix capture/total focusing method with the turbine blade installed in the turbine rotor.
2. The non-destructive method of claim 1 , wherein the scanning includes acquiring data using the full matrix capture method and wherein the generating step includes using the total focusing method on the acquired data to improve the resolution of the scanned image.
3. The non-destructive method of claim 2, wherein the resolution of the generated scanned image is captured with a pixel size of 0.03 mm.
4. The non-destructive method of claim 1 , further comprising measuring the detected indication within the turbine blade utilizing the scanned image.
5. The non-destructive method of claim 4 further comprising measuring a thickness of the turbine blade at a desired position utilizing the scanned image.
6. The non-destructive method of claim 5, further comprising mapping the erosion pattern and cracking on the turbine blade utilizing the thickness measurement and the indication measurement.
7. The non-destructive method of claim 4, further comprising comparing the measured indication on the scanned image to a previous turbine blade scanned image.
8
8. The non-destructive method of claim 1, wherein the generated scanned image includes a scanned volume of the turbine blade that includes a depth in a range from 0.1 mm below the surface of the blade to 5 mm below the surface of the blade.
9. The non-destructive method of claim 1, wherein the ultrasonic phased array probe is positioned on a pressure side surface of the turbine blade to scan a suction side surface of the turbine blade.
10. A system for non-destructive volumetric inspection of a turbine blade, comprising: a phased array probe including multiple elements disposed on a surface of the turbine blade for scanning a surface of the turbine blade using a focused ultrasonic beam; and a computer processor operably connected to the phased array probe, the computer processor operates to run an algorithm on data obtained from the scanning that utilizes a full matrix capture/total focusing method to detect indications on a volume of the turbine blade with the turbine blade installed in the turbine rotor.
11. The system for non-destructive inspection of claim 10, wherein the turbine blade comprises titanium.
12. The system for non-destructive inspection of claim 11, wherein the turbine blade comprises TieAhV.
13. The system for non-destructive inspection of claim 10, wherein the trailing edge of the turbine blade is scanned.
14. The system for non-destructive inspection of claim 10, wherein a thickness of the turbine blade at the trailing edge is between 3-8 mm.
9
PCT/US2021/071574 2020-11-12 2021-09-23 Titanium blade erosion mapping using full matrix capture/total focusing method WO2022104304A1 (en)

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