Routine aviation inspections ensure the aircraft operates optimally and can be used longer. Maintaining an aircraft using non-destructive inspections is a unique technique that specialists have yearned for. However, some faults in the aircraft parts are hard to reach. This has led to a costly routine inspection due to destructive and time-consuming aircraft maintenance. Borescopes (industrial borescopes and videoscopes) have breached this gap by ensuring a cost-effective prolonged aircraft lifespan. Aeronautic and aerospace technicians and aircraft owners use borescope aircraft inspections to diagnose and inspect hard-to-reach areas of the aircraft. Combustion chambers, piston inspections, valve inspections, aircraft frames, compressors, and turbine sections can be quickly inspected with the power of aircraft borescopes at your disposal.
Aircraft Borescopes
These inspection cameras are used widely in aeronautics and aviation industries to ensure aircraft internal components function properly without extensive disassembly. Aviation specialists have started depending on an aircraft borescope as the best and most accurate visual inspection tool for helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft, and aircraft engines.
Maintenance
A thorough aviation maintenance inspection is conducted with an aviation borescope tool. Borescopes are the modern inspection tools that offer video borescopes and thus create an onboard function such as video recordings and image capturing. A borescope is a specialized tool equipped with enhanced illuminating lightning on the inspection area using a built-in LED lightning or an external light source.
The aviation industry uses precise, timely, and thorough inspections in the life of an aircraft. In addition, repair and maintenance are exceptionally costly in aviation. Therefore, having a technology that is accurate, time conscious, and cost sustainable help save considerable money. Borescopes inspection identifies defects with evidence of excessive wear and tear, among other imperfections. Although throughout this article, we will refer to these inspection cameras as aviation borescopes, they perform the same valuable service as in a helicopter borescope inspection.
A specialized Borescope camera tool is engineered to meet the demand for affordable, quality, and precision inspections in the maintenance of an aircraft. Engines are one of the most sensitive parts of the aircraft. Therefore, using a modern bore scope in helicopters and aircraft engines allows for a more effortless and non-destructive inspection.
Turbines, low/high-pressure compressors, combustion chambers, foils, and wings are aeroplane parts that require regular check-ups. Therefore, having a built-in videoscope to record the capability is a better option for documenting an inspection. In addition, when the need arises to remove or retrieve a metal object after the inspection, a specialized borescope with a retrieval kit (alligator jaw, a hook, and a magnet) and a working channel solves the problem in a hard-to-reach part.
Borescopes are typically used in non-destructive testing techniques to identify imperfections, debris, and defects. This indicates that borescopes use the least time that could be used to disassemble and reassemble the critical pieces of the equipment. With the understanding that an aircraft engine is the heart of the aircraft, borescopes are commonly used to inspect, among other casting applications. Borescopes are incredibly versatile, non-destructive, and fast, providing the most needed inspection insights into the aircraft’s condition.
Challenges of Borescopes in Aviation Maintenance
Professional aircraft inspectors must be on the lookout to identify the tiniest issue, such as engine cracks, usually caused by thermal cycling. Mechanical fatigue, unintended vibrations, and overheating all contribute to engine cracking. Therefore, suitable endoscope tools make spotting these cracks easier than ever.
The borescope inspection experiences a challenge, such as debris particle accumulation. In addition, foreign object damage causes severe corrosion, residue build-up, and wear and tear. Borescope accessories such as LED lighting help identify some of these challenges, thus leading to a more straightforward resolution.
Inspecting and Aircraft Engine
The care and maintenance of aviation using borescopes inspection is essential. The actual borescope inspection varies based on the aircraft type. However, the borescopes are recommended for non-destructive inspection in aircraft maintenance due to their accuracy in identifying and precisely fixing the fault.
When an aircraft engine is in use, it undergoes significant stress. In addition, an aircraft engine undergoes wear and tear during its use; hence, regular maintenance helps prolong its life. Routine maintenance is a need met by a borescope to prevent engine failure through inspection, repair, and service. Before a complicated and costly aircraft repair can be made, borescope inspection is the non-destructive approach to identifying and solving the problem. Aviation maintenance using borescopes for inspection help an operator identify the problem that otherwise could become a significant issue.
Measurable Signs of maintenance from Borescope Inspection
Poor Lubrication
A lot of aircraft components require lubrication. For example, during a borescope inspection, specific details appear dry and discolored, indicating poor maintenance. In aviation, finding the root of an issue becomes the first step. A lack of lubrication signals that the engine could burn oil or have other critical engine lubrication issues.
Cracking
Engine cracks are among the serious problems that are not always identified easily by the naked eye but require immediate solutions before escalating to a big issue. Cracks have several causes to an aircraft which is intrinsic to detecting and finding a remedy quickly. An engine breakdown is expensive and life-threatening, but identifying a crack aided by a borescope significantly saves time and money. In addition, borescopes facilitate the longevity and safety of aircraft engines by identifying the problem before it becomes a larger problem.
Aircraft Leaks have been confirmed to cause accidents when they become severe. Fluids are required in an aircraft’s operation but could contaminate other fluids from leaks that damage the engine. For example, in 2019, an airline encountered a failed seal on its left engine where oil leaked onto the hot parts of the air pressurizing system and engine, leading to smoke in the cabin. These leaks could have been prevented by conducting a hard-to-reach inspection of internal engine components to identify any signs of the oil leak.
Typical areas that need Borescope Aircraft Inspection
Modern aviation engines have in-built and various sophisticated endoscopes with diameters that facilitate USABorescopes inspection. This enables proper access to the inspection area for an easy and quick examination. The common areas such as compressors, combustion Chamber and Turbine Section are among the most critical parts of the aircraft.
The compressor is quickly and better inspected using a borescope through an air inlet or a bleed port designed as a borescope port. However, an ignition port is used to lead to the leading edges and trail toward the compressor blades and vanes thoroughly for any FOD or erosion.
The borescope easily accesses the turbine section using the special endoscope or an ignitor port. The first stage of turbine inspection for maintenance is checking the stationary nozzles and guiding vanes to monitor any cracking, pitting, burning, erosion, FOD, or sulfidation. The second stage follows inspecting the turbine section blades to see whether there is any rivet shifting and cracking.
The combustion chamber inspection is accessed through the ignitor port for misalignments or cracks. The louvres, fuel nozzles, and other parts are analyzed for any possible excessive distortion, cracking, or coking by the borescopes. The combustion chamber has very dark areas where borescope light is significant when inspecting the chamber. This area is often associated with a bad image because it is too dark. However, USABorescopes has appropriate borescope equipment that provides quality images with borescopes that emit lightning or brighter light.
What USA Borescopes offers to Aviation Maintenance.
Borescopes have relatively small diameters, so an inspector can use a specialized borescope to access the engine. www.USABorescopes.com offers different aviation visual inspection borescope solutions depending on a specific need. In addition, USAborescopes has a range of sophisticated videoscopes and borescopes with a 4-way tip articulation. The cameras are high-definition with chips that store the data.
USABorescopes has professional endoscopes perfect for tight confines and inspection of aircraft. The USABorescopes includes USAVSJ-4-1500, USAVS4-4-1500, USA1000 J-4-3000 and USA1000 J-4-1500 among others. These borascopes come with a range of camera probes, from 2mm to a maximum of 8mm, surrounded by a durable rubber coating. The endoscopes can be flexed and formed into various shapes by the user. The camera probes come with varied lens options with dual, single, and triple camera probes accessible for the wide view that special inspectors need. USABorescopes has numerous articulating borescope instruments that help operators to control where the tip of the camera looks using the controller wheel.
When accompanied by a thorough inspection, industrial borescopes help identify more issues before they escalate to more significant problems that could become potentially catastrophic. Proper aviation maintenance using borescopes is the key to ensuring the reliability and longevity of aircraft engines. USA Borescopes specializes in providing visual inspection equipment for rental, repair, and onsite Inspections.
USA Borescopes is a premier global supplier of world-class visual inspection equipment. USA Borescopes is a one-stop global source of professionals supplying borescopes from .37mm fiberscopes, articulating aviation borescopes, and many more borescopes. For more information, don’t hesitate to contact us at 931-362-3304 or email us at Sales@USABorescopes.com.
