Tool for gas turbine engine maintenance
In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful for performing maintenance operations within a gas turbine engine. In some embodiments, a tool performing maintenance operations within a gas turbine engine includes a link assembly; an elongated enclosure having a cavity and an enclosure line guide; a line assembly inserted through the enclosure line guide and is selectively coupled to the tip link of the link assembly; and an actuator apparatus coupled to the link assembly and configured to move the link assembly through the cavity and out of the distal end of the elongated enclosure from a retracted state to an extended state.
1 . A tool for performing maintenance operations within a gas turbine engine, the tool comprising:
a link assembly, the link assembly comprising a plurality of links sequentially coupled together and having a tip link at one end, wherein each of the plurality of links is formed with a link line guide that is configured to receive a line assembly;
an elongated enclosure having a cavity and an enclosure line guide, the link assembly being disposed within the cavity, the enclosure line guide including a distal section with a distal opening and a proximal section with a proximal opening;
wherein the line assembly is inserted through the enclosure line guide and is selectively coupled to the tip link of the link assembly, and wherein the line assembly, when coupled to the tip link, is operated to cause tensioning of links of the plurality of links past a distal end of the elongated enclosure to rigidize the link assembly; and
an actuator apparatus coupled to the link assembly and configured to move the link assembly through the cavity and out of the distal end of the elongated enclosure from a retracted state to an extended state,
wherein in the retracted state, the line assembly is disposed outside the link line guide of at least one link of the plurality of links, and
wherein in the extended state, the at least one link of the plurality of links is disposed outside of the elongated enclosure and the line assembly is inserted within the link line guide of the at least one link.
2 . The tool of claim 1 , further comprising an end effector coupled to the tip link, the end effector including at least one of a spray tool, a laser, a camera, a brush, a drilling tool, a grinding tool, a light source, a welding tool, a cutting tool, a gel dispensing head, or a liquid dispensing head.
3 . The tool of claim 1 , wherein the actuator apparatus comprises a tensioning device configured to maintain the line assembly under tension while the plurality of links are in the extended state.
4 . The tool of claim 1 , wherein the at least one link comprises at least one line guide lid configured to open to allow insertion of the line assembly into the link line guide and to close to keep the line assembly in the link line guide when the at least one link is outside of the elongated enclosure.
5 . The tool of claim 4 , wherein the at least one line guide lid is spring loaded.
6 . The tool of claim 4 , wherein the elongated enclosure forms a ridge on at least an inner side wall of the elongated enclosure and protruding into the cavity, the ridge being sized and shaped to open the at least one line guide lid allowing insertion of the line assembly into the link line guide as the at least one link is moved out of the elongated enclosure.
7 . The tool of claim 6 , wherein a first location of the enclosure line guide corresponds to a location of the ridge that is tapered towards the proximal section of the enclosure line guide to open the least one at line guide lid allowing insertion of the line assembly into the link line guide as the at least one link is moved out of the elongated enclosure.
8 . The tool of claim 4 , wherein the elongated enclosure forms a ridge on at least an inner side wall of the elongated enclosure and protruding into the cavity, the ridge being sized and shaped to open the at least one line guide lid allowing extraction of the line assembly out of the link line guide as the at least one link is pulled into the elongated enclosure.
9 . The tool of claim 8 , wherein a second location of the enclosure line guide corresponds to a location of the ridge that is tapered towards the distal end of the elongated enclosure to open the at least one line guide lid when the link assembly is retracted to decouple the line assembly from the at least one link.
10 . The tool of claim 1 , wherein the at least one link is formed with a service cavity configured to receive a payload.
11 . The tool of claim 1 , wherein the elongated enclosure is a curved tube.
12 . The tool of claim 1 , wherein a first end of the at least one link comprises at least one rounded protrusion and a second end of the at least one link comprises at least one indention member, wherein the at least one rounded protrusion of the at least one link is configured to engage with at least one indention member of a neighboring link to align the at least one link with the neighboring link and to limit relative movement of the at least one link and the neighboring link when the plurality of links are rigidized by the line assembly.
13 . A method for performing maintenance operations on a component within a gas turbine engine, the method comprising:
positioning a link assembly in a cavity of an elongated enclosure, the link assembly being a plurality of links sequentially coupled together and having a tip link at one end, wherein each of the plurality of links is formed with a link line guide that is configured to receive a line assembly;
coupling a looped end of the line assembly with the tip link of the link assembly, the line assembly partially disposed through an enclosure line guide of the elongated enclosure;
moving, by an actuator apparatus coupled to the link assembly, the link assembly through the cavity and out of a distal end of the elongated enclosure; and
tensioning the line assembly, by the actuator apparatus, to change a state of links of the plurality of links past the distal end of the elongated enclosure from a retracted state to an extended state to rigidize the links,
wherein when in the retracted state, the line assembly is disposed outside the link line guide of at least one link of the plurality of links, and
wherein when in the extended state, the at least one link of the plurality of links is disposed outside of the elongated enclosure and the line assembly is inserted within the link line guide of the at least one link.
14 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising opening at least one line guide lid of the at least one link, at a first location of the enclosure line guide, to allow insertion of the line assembly into the link line guide; and
closing the at least one line guide lid of the at least one link as the at least one link is moved out of the elongated enclosure.
15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the first location corresponds to a location of a ridge that is tapered towards a proximal section of the enclosure line guide.
16 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising opening at least one line guide lid of the at least one link, at a second location of the enclosure line guide, to decouple the line assembly from the at least one link when the link assembly is retracted from the elongated enclosure; and
closing the at least one line guide lid of the at least one link as the at least one link is moved out of the elongated enclosure.
17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the second location corresponds to a location of a ridge that is tapered towards the distal end of the elongated enclosure to open the at least one line guide lid when the link assembly is retracted to decouple the line assembly from the at least one link as the at least one link is pulled into the elongated enclosure.
18 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising coupling an end effector to the tip link, the end effector including at least one of spray tools, a laser, a camera, brushes, a drilling tool, a grinding tool, a light source, a welding tool, a cutting tool a gel dispensing head, or a liquid dispensing head.
19 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the at least one link is formed with a service cavity configured to receive a payload.
20 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the elongated enclosure is a curved tube.