Method for inspecting and refurbishing engineering components
First Claim
1. A method of inspecting an engineering component for subsurface damage without performing grinding, using a chemically accelerated vibratory process to remove material from worn or damaged critically dimensioned surfaces of the component, the component being a gear, shaft, bearing, piston, axle, cam, seat or seal, the method comprising:
- a) disassembling the component if necessary to fully expose the worn or damaged critically dimensioned surfaces of the component;
b) performing the chemically accelerated vibratory process on the component to remove a quantity of material from the surfaces;
c) inspecting the surfaces of the component to determine an extent of apparent damage; and
d) on the basis of the inspection, determining whether;
i. the component can be reused;
orii. the component should be scrapped.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Refurbishing used or damaged engineering components is performed using a subtractive surface engineering process to remove material from worn or damaged critical surfaces. The method involves initially performing the process on the component to remove a first quantity of material from the surfaces, inspecting the surface of the component to determine the extent of damage and subsequently further performing the process to remove a further quantity of material if necessary.
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Citations
28 Claims
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1. A method of inspecting an engineering component for subsurface damage without performing grinding, using a chemically accelerated vibratory process to remove material from worn or damaged critically dimensioned surfaces of the component, the component being a gear, shaft, bearing, piston, axle, cam, seat or seal, the method comprising:
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a) disassembling the component if necessary to fully expose the worn or damaged critically dimensioned surfaces of the component; b) performing the chemically accelerated vibratory process on the component to remove a quantity of material from the surfaces; c) inspecting the surfaces of the component to determine an extent of apparent damage; and d) on the basis of the inspection, determining whether; i. the component can be reused;
orii. the component should be scrapped. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method for refurbishing an engineering component without performing grinding, using a chemically accelerated vibratory process to remove material from worn or damaged critically dimensioned surfaces of the component, the component being a gear, shaft, bearing, piston, axle, cam, seat or seal, the method comprising:
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a) initially performing the chemically accelerated vibratory process on the component to remove a first quantity of material from the surfaces, wherein the chemically accelerated vibratory process uses acid-based active chemistry; b) inspecting the surface of the component to determine an extent of damage; and c) subsequently further performing the chemically accelerated vibratory process to remove a further quantity of material. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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Specification