Generic Engineering Robot for Damage Assessment (GERDA) for Turbine Blades

Initial situation

Turbine blades are critical components in aircraft gas turbine engines. Even small defects in these components can lead to serious failures, which is why a thorough inspection is essential.

Many turbine blades, whether in airplanes, helicopters or industrial gas turbines for power generation, have complex internal structures such as cooling channels and holes. These channels allow air to circulate to protect the blade from overheating, as operating temperatures often exceed the melting point of the materials used in the construction.

Turbine blades convert high-temperature and high-pressure gases into mechanical energy that drives the turbine. This mechanical energy is used either to generate thrust in aircraft engines or to generate electricity in industrial turbines.

Possible Defects and the Need for an Inspection:

Due to their use in extreme environments, turbine blades are susceptible to various types of defects, the most prevalent of which include:

  1. Surface cracks: Occur due to alternating thermal stress or exposure to high-pressure gas flows, cracks can form in the thermal barrier coating of the turbine blade.

  2. Plugged cooling holes: Cooling holes are small passages in turbine blades that allow air to flow through and regulate temperature during operation. Over time, dirt can accumulate in these holes. Blocked cooling holes are a serious concern, as the resulting heat buildup can lead to further damage..

Problem: Manual Measurement

When operators use mechanical probes or specialized tools to measure defects or geometries, several challenges arise:

  • Large amount of cooling holes: Turbine blades feature a large number of small cooling holes, each of which must be individually inspected. This makes the process highly repetitive, labor-intensive, and time-consuming.

  • Small component size and subtle defects: The compact size of turbine components, combined with the often microscopic nature of defects, makes accurate detection with the naked eye or magnifying glass extremely difficult.

  • Workforce limitations: Inspection work is often classified as dull, dirty, and dangerous, making it unattractive to skilled technicians. To retain talent and reduce turnover, it’s essential to minimize this type of work through the use of inspection robots.

Brightsky Project

The BrightSky project is a Dutch aviation innovation initiative aimed at transforming the Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) sector through sustainability, digitalization, and social innovation. Launched in 2021, it brings together a consortium of twelve partners, see the BrightSky website.

Within the BrightSky project, KLM Engineering & Maintenance (KLM E&M) and the Royal Netherlands Aerospace Centre (NLR) have collaborated to develop GERDA (Generic Engineering Robot for Damage Assessment), a platform to test advanced inspection methods, including automated systems for the inspection of cooling holes in turbine blades.”

New Solution from QuellTech: 3D Laser Scanner Inspection of Turbine Blades

The GERDA project focuses on the development of a system to generate 3D point clouds for machine vision in the inspection of aircraft components using QuellTech laser line scanners. The system captures a full 360° scan of an object by combining a turntable with the scanner, enabling a comprehensive inspection from all sides. The laser scanner, equipped with a blue laser diode for high precision, creates detailed 3D point clouds, which can be used for further analysis.

Research is being conducted into automated defect detection in 3D point cloud data, where the system identifies and highlights various defects and automatically generates a report for use by an inspector. The goal is to support inspectors in both locating and assessing defects by reducing manual effort through automated detection and providing detailed point cloud measurements to aid in the evaluation of defects.

Advantages of the QuellTech Solution for Turbine Blades:

The use of fully automated laser scanners for damage assessment of turbine blades offers numerous advantages in terms of precision, consistency and efficiency. These systems optimize the inspection process and increase the overall quality of the components.

Benefits of 3D Laser Scanner Inspection of Defects

3D laser scanner inspection offers numerous advantages that significantly improve quality assurance and efficiency in production:

  • High precision: Laser scanners detect even the smallest defects and deliver the most accurate measurements, enabling the highest quality standards to be met.

  • Increased productivity: Automated inspections with laser sensor technology reduce inspection times and downtimes and therefore lead to efficient production processes

  • Consistency and reproducibility: Laser scanners guarantee consistent results, regardless of individual operator influences.

  • Non-destructive testing: The non-contact mode of operation protects sensitive materials and enables gentle inspection.

  • Comprehensive data acquisition: Comprehensive data acquisition: High-resolution measurement data provides a solid basis for in-depth analyses and long-term quality monitoring.

  • Lower labor costs: Once purchased, automated systems reduce the need for manual inspection, which saves costs in the long term

  • Ability to measure complex shapes: Complex geometries can be measured precisely without additional measuring tools, saving development time and costs.


These properties make 3D laser scanner inspection a pioneering solution for quality assurance in numerous industries.

This solution for the inspection of turbine blades with QuellTech laser sensors was realized and implemented together with our long-standing integration partner Royal NLR – Netherlands Aerospace Centre.


Company details:
Royal NLR – Netherlands Aerospace Centre
1006 BM Amsterdam
The Netherlands

Web: www.nlr.org

Contact person:
A.W. (Alex) Hurd
+31 88 511 31 52
[email protected]

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