Measurement plane examples for the Mentor Visual iQ+ VideoProbe 

In this article:

• How measurement planes on the Mentor Visual iQ+ VideoProbe enable accurate measurements when 3D data is missing or noisy, by mathematically extending surfaces into space.
• Practical real-world examples such as turbine blade missing corners, edge damage, and blade tip-to-shroud clearance measurements using different plane-supported methods.
• Best-practice guidance on probe positioning, cursor placement, and surface masking to improve measurement accuracy and reduce inspection errors.

What are measurement plane examples for the Mentor Visual iQ+ VideoProbe?

Turbine blade missing corner dimensions:

• Use a Measurement Plane with Missing Corner or Area.
• Position the probe tip according to recommendations in the Measurement Plane EVA Advisory section.
• Place the Measurement Plane on the face of the blade near the missing corner. Maximize the green surface mask near the area of missing material.
• Place a Missing Corner or Area measurement with one cursor on each remaining corner, one cursor out in space where the corner used to be, and as many as are needed to follow the broken edge.
• After pressing “Done”, adjust the cursors so that the extended lines line up with the blade edges near the missing corner region.
• The missing area, missing edge dimensions, and the corner angle are all provided eliminating the need for additional measurements. This measurement data field can be moved into position as desired.

Turbine blade edge indication:

• Use a Measurement Plane with Point to Line when 3D data along the blade edge is missing or noisy.
• Place the Measurement Plane on the face of the blade near the indication and maximize the green surface mask near the indication and surface edge.
• Add a Point to Line measurement with the first two cursors placed on the edge of the blade and the third at the inner edge of the indication.

Turbine blade tip to shroud clearance:

• Use a Measurement Plane with Depth when 3D data at the edge of the blade is missing, noisy, or drawn down and back toward the shroud as shown in the lower right image.
• Position the probe tip low to the shroud so that you can see back under the blade. The left image below is captured from too far above the shroud.
• Place the Measurement Plane on the face of the blade near the desired measurement point. Too much spacing between the cursors near the blade edge can increase error due to blade curvature. Look at the green surface mask for cues of this curvature near the area to be measured.
• Place the first three Depth cursors on the shroud.
• Position the fourth Depth cursor at the edge of the blade in the 2D image. This cursor is projected onto the Measurement Plane, so it may appear slightly off the edge in the point cloud due to missing or noisy 3D data at the edge.