System and method for inspecting fan blade tip clearance relative to an abradable fan case

A method of inspecting fan blade clearance of a fan case relative to a fan rotor, the method comprising:

• rotating the fan rotor, wherein a first end of a bracket is directly affixed to an outer surface of a spinner cone located at a center of the fan rotor, the bracket being arranged between adjacent fan blades connected to the fan rotor, wherein the bracket comprises a laser module being attached at a second end of the bracket opposite the first end thereof;
• and an inclinometer configured to measure a circumferential position of the laser module, and wherein the laser module comprises a laser sensor;
• projecting, from the laser sensor, a laser beam toward the fan case as the fan rotor is rotated;
• receiving, by the laser sensor, a reflected laser beam from the fan case, thereby defining a path length indicative of a distance between the laser module and the fan case for a plurality of points disposed circumferentially around the fan case;
• determining, by the inclinometer, the circumferential position of the laser module;
• transmitting, by the laser module, a distance measurement and a circumferential position data for each of the plurality of points to a computing device;
• processing, by the computing device, the distance measurement and the circumferential position data for each of the plurality of points;
• determining, by the computing device, a clearance distance between a fan blade and the fan case;
• and
• initiating a corrective action based on the determined clearance distance exceeding a threshold value.

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising instructions which when executed, cause a machine to at least:

• rotate a fan rotor, wherein a first end of a bracket is directly affixed to an outer surface of a spinner cone located at a center of the fan rotor, the bracket being arranged between adjacent fan blades connected to the fan rotor, wherein the bracket comprises a laser module being attached at a second end of the bracket opposite the first end thereof;
• and an inclinometer configured to measure a circumferential position of the laser module with the laser module, and wherein the laser module comprises a laser sensor;
• project, from the laser sensor, a laser beam toward a fan case as the fan rotor is rotated;
• receive, by the laser sensor, a reflected laser beam from the fan case, thereby defining a path length indicative of a distance between the laser module and the fan case for a plurality of points disposed circumferentially around the fan case;
• determine, by the inclinometer, the circumferential position of the laser module;
• transmit, by the laser module, a distance measurement and a circumferential position data for each of the plurality of points to a computing device;
• process, by the computing device, the distance measurement and the circumferential position data for each of the plurality of points;
• determine, by the computing device, a clearance distance between a fan blade and the fan case;
• and
• initiate a corrective action based on the determined clearance distance exceeding a threshold value.