Turbine blades are extremely complex manufactured parts with special needs for inspection, which can be met by X-ray technology. The desire for a greater degree of turbine efficiency means that turbine blades are exposed to constantly increasing turbine inflow temperatures. The result is that an ever greater perfection in cooling is required.
Pores in welded-on material, foreign substances in the cooling channels or incorrectly executed bores (e.g. boring into the rear wall) can all be easily detected in turbine blades using X-ray inspection. For instance, the wide range of gray-scale dynamics displayed by digital detectors allow pores in welded-on material to be recognized with a single X-ray inspection of the turbine blade.
