Virtual blade inspection

1. A computerized method of virtually inspecting shrouds of a blade stage, the blade stage having known dimensions, the method comprising:

in a computer system:

extracting a geometric location data of a plurality of reference points of each shroud from a three-dimensional model of a shroud of each blade of the blade stage created by digitizing using a digitizing device;

generating a three-dimensional virtual rendering of the shrouds of the blade stage based on the geometric location data and the known dimensions of the blade stage, the three-dimensional virtual rendering including a rendering of the plurality of reference points of each shroud, wherein the generating includes:

radially positioning each shroud relative to a common axis based on a shroud radius of the blade stage, and

circumferentially positioning each shroud about the common axis using a spacing depending on the number of blades in the blade stage; and

inspecting the blade stage using the three-dimensional virtual rendering.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the inspecting includes:

identifying at least one of an axial deformation, a radial deformation, a twist deformation, and a contact gap violation, and

further comprising modifying at least one blade to at least reduce the at least one of the axial deformation, the radial deformation, the twist deformation, and the contact gap violation.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the extracting the geometric location data includes:

identifying x coordinates of a pair of corresponding axial reference points of a hard face plane for each pair of adjacent shrouds in space; and

wherein the inspecting includes:

measuring an axial overlap between hard face planes of each pair of adjacent blades in the three-dimensional virtual rendering based on the x coordinates of the pair of corresponding axial reference points, and

identifying an axial deformation by determining whether an axial overlap individually exceeds a threshold.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the measuring the axial overlap includes calculating an axial areal overlap, and the determining includes determining whether an axial areal overlap exceeds a threshold.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the extracting the geometric location data includes:

identifying, for each shroud in space, a z coordinate of a selected radial point chosen from the group consisting of an outermost radial point of a hard face plane and an innermost radial point of the hard face plane; and

wherein the inspecting includes:

measuring a radial shift between the selected radial point of each pair of adjacent blades in the three-dimensional virtual rendering, and

identifying a radial deformation by determining whether one or more radial shifts individually exceed a threshold.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the measuring the radial shift includes calculating a radial areal overlap, and the determining includes determining whether a radial areal overlap individually exceeds a threshold.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the extracting the geometric location data includes:

identifying a pair of x coordinates for each shroud in space; and

wherein the inspecting includes:

measuring a twist amount of each shroud in space by measuring a shift in space of each of the pair of x coordinates thereof relative to an expected location of each x coordinate, and

identifying a twist deformation by determining whether one or more twist amounts individually exceed a threshold.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the extracting the geometric location data includes:

identifying an x, y and z coordinate of a plurality of vertical reference points along a hard face plane of each shroud in space, and

identifying an angular orientation of each hard face plane in space; and

wherein the inspecting includes:

measuring a contact gap between hard face planes of each pair of adjacent blades in the three-dimensional virtual rendering at each of the plurality of vertical reference points on each hard face plane,

identifying a minimum contact gap amongst the contact gaps at each of the plurality of vertical reference points, and

identifying a contact gap violation by determining whether the minimum contact gap exceeds a threshold.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

based on the inspecting, changing a circumferential position of at least one blade within the blade stage within the three-dimensional virtual rendering of the shrouds of the blade stage; and

ensuring a moment weight balancing of the blade stage does not exceed a threshold.

10. A system for virtually inspecting a blade stage, the blade stage having known dimensions, the system comprising:

a computer system including a processor connected to a memory and at least one module, the module configured to perform the following processes:

extracting a geometric location data of a plurality of reference points of each shroud from a three-dimensional model of a shroud of each blade of the blade stage created by digitizing using a digitizing device;

generating a three-dimensional virtual rendering of the shrouds of the blade stage based on the geometric location data and the known dimensions of the blade stage, the three-dimensional virtual rendering including a rendering of the plurality of reference points of each shroud, wherein the generating includes:

radially positioning each shroud relative to a common axis based on a shroud radius of the blade stage, and

circumferentially positioning each shroud about the common axis using a spacing depending on the number of blades in the blade stage; and

inspecting the blade stage using the three-dimensional virtual rendering.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the inspecting includes:

identifying at least one of an axial deformation, a radial deformation, a twist deformation, and a contact gap violation, and

further comprising modifying at least one blade to at least reduce the at least one of the axial deformation, the radial deformation, the twist deformation, and the contact gap violation.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein the extracting the geometric location data includes:

identifying x coordinates of a pair of corresponding axial reference points of the hard face planes for each pair of adjacent shrouds in space; and

wherein the inspecting includes:

measuring an axial overlap between hard face planes of each pair of adjacent blades in the three-dimensional virtual rendering based on the x coordinates of the pair of corresponding axial reference points, and

identifying an axial deformation by determining whether an axial overlap individually exceeds a threshold.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the measuring the axial overlap includes calculating an axial areal overlap, and the determining includes determining whether one or more axial areal overlaps exceed a threshold.

14. The system of claim 10 , wherein the extracting the geometric location data includes:

identifying, for each shroud in space, a z coordinate of a selected radial point chosen from the group consisting of an outermost radial point of a hard face plane and an innermost radial point of the hard face plane; and

wherein the inspecting includes:

measuring a radial shift between the selected radial point of each pair of adjacent blades in the three-dimensional virtual rendering, and

identifying a radial deformation by determining whether one or more radial shifts individually exceed a threshold.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the measuring the radial shift includes calculating a radial areal overlap, and the determining includes determining whether a radial areal overlap individually exceeds a threshold.

16. The system of claim 10 , wherein the extracting the geometric location data includes:

identifying a pair of x coordinates for each shroud in space; and

wherein the inspecting includes:

measuring a twist amount of each shroud in space by measuring a shift in space of each of the pair of x coordinates thereof relative to an expected location of each x coordinate, and

identifying a twist deformation by determining whether one or more twist amounts individually exceed a threshold.

17. The system of claim 10 , wherein the extracting the geometric location data includes:

identifying an x, y and z coordinate of a plurality of vertical reference points along a hard face plane of each shroud in space, and

identifying an angular orientation of each hard face plane in space; and

wherein the inspecting includes:

measuring a contact gap between hard face planes of each pair of adjacent blades in the three-dimensional virtual rendering at each of the plurality of vertical reference points on each hard face plane,

identifying a minimum contact gap amongst the contact gaps at each of the plurality of vertical reference points, and

identifying a contact gap violation by determining whether the minimum contact gap exceeds a threshold.

18. The system of claim 10 , further comprising:

based on the inspecting, changing a circumferential position of at least one blade within the blade stage within the three-dimensional virtual rendering of the shrouds of the blade stage; and

ensuring a moment weight balancing of the blade stage does not exceed a threshold.

19. A system for virtually inspecting a blade stage, the blade stage having known dimensions, the system comprising:

a digitizing device for obtaining a three-dimensional model of at least a shroud of each blade of the blade stage;

a computer system including at least one module configured to perform the following processes:

extracting a geometric location data of a plurality of reference points of each shroud from a three-dimensional model of a shroud of each blade of the blade stage created by digitizing using a digitizing device;

generating a three-dimensional virtual rendering of the shrouds of the blade stage based on the geometric location data and the known dimensions of the blade stage, the three-dimensional virtual rendering including a rendering of the plurality of reference points of each shroud, wherein the generating includes:

radially positioning each shroud relative to a common axis based on a shroud radius of the blade stage, and

circumferentially positioning each shroud about the common axis using a spacing depending on the number of blades in the blade stage,

inspecting the blade stage using the three-dimensional virtual rendering by identifying at least one of an axial deformation, a radial deformation, a twist deformation, and a contact gap violation; and

modifying at least one blade to at least reduce the at least one of the axial deformation, the radial deformation, the twist deformation, and the contact gap violation.

20. The system of claim 19 , wherein the extracting the geometric location data includes:

identifying x coordinates of a pair of corresponding axial reference points of the hard face planes for each pair of adjacent shrouds in space; and

wherein the inspecting includes:

measuring an axial overlap between hard face planes of each pair of adjacent blades in the three-dimensional virtual rendering based on the x coordinates of the pair of corresponding axial reference points, and

identifying the axial deformation by determining whether one or more axial overlaps individually exceed a threshold.