Systems and methods for thermal location of cooling holes

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed herein for repairing components. A material layer may be deposited on a surface of a component. The material layer may cover a cooling hole. A pulsed heat source may heat the component and the material layer. An infrared camera may take a series of images of the component. A location of the cooling hole may be identified based on thermal properties of the component. A removal tool may remove a portion of the material layer in order to expose the cooling hole.

1 . A method of locating a cooling hole comprising:
 heating a component and a material layer disposed on a surface of the component with a pulsed heat source;   capturing a series of thermal images of the component with an infrared camera;   processing the series of thermal images to identify temperature gradients on the component; and   based on the temperature gradients, identifying a location of a center of a first cooling hole.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising comparing the location of the center of the first cooling hole with a known specification for the component. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising identifying an angle of the first cooling hole relative to the surface of the component based on the known specifications. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising heating the component with the pulsed heat source a second time. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , further comprising locating a center of a second cooling hole. 
     
     
         6 . A system for repairing a component comprising:
 a pulsed heat source configured to heat the component;   an infrared camera configured to capture a series of thermal images of the component;   a computer coupled to the infrared camera and configured to identify a location of a cooling hole; and   a removal tool configured to remove a portion of a material layer covering the cooling hole.   
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 6 , wherein the removal tool comprises a laser drill coaxial with the infrared camera. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 6 , wherein the computer comprises stored specifications of the component. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the computer is configured to align the removal tool with an angle of the cooling hole based on the stored specifications. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 6 , wherein the computer is configured to direct movement of the removal tool.