Patent Document ID: 9494487
Application ID: 14190781
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. A method for inspection of turbine engine rotor thru-bolt threads and external outer circumference of a remainder thereof, comprising: providing a thru-bolt threads inspection apparatus, including: a collar clamp having a thru aperture defining a female threads profile for threaded engagement and advancement along corresponding male threads profile of a turbine engine rotor thru-bolt; and a camera having a field of view for capturing images of thru-bolt threads or remainder of its outer circumference, coupled to the collar; a data acquisition system and an image processing system coupled to the camera; (a) inspecting external male threads of a provided thru-bolt by: mating and threading the bolt threads inspection apparatus collar clamp on the exposed thru-bolt male threads; advancing the collar clamp female threads relative to and along the thru-bolt male threads; and selectively capturing first plural images of the thru-bolt threads with the camera during the advancement; storing the first plural captured images in the data acquisition system; combining the first plural captured images with the image processing system to form a composite image of the thru-bolt threads; (b) inspecting external outer circumference of a remainder of the provided thru-bolt by: opening the collar clamp, so that its threads slide over an outer circumference of a remainder of the thru-bolt, capturing second plural images thereof with the camera coupled to the data acquisition system and the image processing system; storing the second plural captured images in the data acquisition system; and combining the second plural captured images with the image processing system to form a composite image of the thru-bolt remainder of its outer circumference; and (c) combining the thru-bolt threads and remainder of its outer circumference composite images to form an overall image of the thru-bolt.