Borescope Inspection: A Key Procedure In Maintenance

2007-03-08 10:33:40

( Technology )



Those who are familiar with maintenance procedures know that there are three types of maintenance in any facility: preventive maintenance, corrective maintenance and predictive maintenance. You normally follow established procedures in each of these types, since each one targets a different aspect of maintenance.

Borescope inspections are an integral part of procedures for preventive maintenance, along with such routine tasks as lubrication of moving parts and calibration of instruments. For instance, you usually conduct borescope inspection to assess the condition of gas turbines, especially turbines used in aircraft engines. You insert your bore scope (either a rigid or flexible borescope) through pre-fitted borescope inspection ports in the turbine thus gaining access to critical components of the core engine. You normally schedule borescope inspections for preventive maintenance purposes once a year or after an established number of operating hours.

Corrective maintenance usually follows a mechanical or electrical failure. This can include troubleshooting, engine changes and repairs. Depending on the equipment to be repaired, you may have to conduct borescope inspection to assess the damage. Corrective maintenance is costly, and is the reason you must use preventive and predictive maintenance.

Predictive maintenance is a relatively recent practice for facility managers. It includes a growing field of diagnostic equipment used to analyze and prevent failures before they occur. In building maintenance, you can conduct borescope inspection on metal anchors hidden inside the voids of lintels, dentils and other units in roofed structures to check for corrosion.

You should remember that a bore scope is a monocular device, and it is difficult to estimate size or distance with it. You must ensure, therefore, that maintenance personnel assigned to borescope inspections should be well trained to use borescopes effectively. Photographs, especially colored, can be utilized as a reference on the history of the equipment being inspected.


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