Rise of the robots continues
Robotic technologies provide the opportunity to improve how engine services are delivered, for example by speeding up inspection processes, or by removing the need to take an engine off an aircraft to perform maintenance.
Rolls-Royce is continuing to develop SWARM robots, a set of camera-carrying collaborative miniature devices that crawl through an engine to provide a visual inspection of hard-to-reach areas that is live-streamed back to the operator. The programme, a partnership with Harvard University and the University of Nottingham, has now confirmed that the robots can crawl upside down on an engine component.
Snake robot programmes are also making great progress. The FLARE programme involves a pair of snake robots travelling through the engine like an endoscope before carrying out patch repairs to damaged thermal barrier coatings, without having to take the engine off wing. This year, engineers have set a world first, successfully testing a material addition repair technology on a real engine in a laboratory for the first time. The programme is a partnership with the University of Nottingham and Metallisation.
Another snake project – COBRA – allows engineers to “drive” a five-metre-long snake into an engine from a remote location, avoiding the need for them to be physically sent to the site, to carry out repairs. A full system concept demonstration is planned for 2020. The programme is a partnership with Atomic Energy Authority (Remote Applications in Challenging Environments), OpTek Systems and the University of Nottingham.