The selection of radius correction method in the case of coordinate measurements applicable for turbine blades

The objective of the research presented in the paper is the selection of suitable probe radius correction method in the case of coordinate measurements which can be applied for turbine blades. The investigations are based on theoretical analysis of geometric data and on further computer simulation of measurements and data processing. In the paper two methods for computing coordinates of corrected measured points are verified. Those so-called local methods of probe radius correction are based on Bézier curves. They are dedicated first of all to coordinate measurements of free-form surfaces which are characterized by big values of curvature, e.g. those surrounding the leading and trailing edges of a turbine blade. Numerical simulations are done for several models of the cross-sections of turbine blades with diversified magnitudes of radii of curvature. There are considered both manufacturing deviations and coordinate measurement uncertainty of each examined profile of a turbine blade. Numerical investigations based on the developed analytical models show the advantage of the algorithm which uses the second degree Bézier curves in probe radius correction. Moreover, in the paper there is explained the implementation of the developed algorithms for probe radius correction into the standard CMM software which amplifies the usability of the algorithms.