Method and device for machining the leading edge of a turbine engine blade

Device for profiling the leading edge of a turbine engine blade comprising:

• a module for acquiring a 3D profile of the leading edge and the trailing edge of the blade, at least two elementary sections being defined on the profile of the blade over its height;
• a machining centre for which parameters can be set, having means for driving an abrasive strip intended to come into contact with the leading edge of the blade;
• a blade loading/unloading module, comprising at least one cradle for receiving a blade,
• a transfer robot designed to move the said cradle between the blade loading/unloading module and the acquisition module,
• the acquisition module having a sensor for the non-contact 3D acquisition of the profile of the leading edge and the trailing edge of the blade in its cradle and means for driving the cradle in rotation with its blade during the acquisition by the acquisition sensor, and
• a data processing module designed:
• i. to calculate from the 3D profile at least one characteristic of the leading edge for each of the elementary sections, the said characteristic being chosen from the chord width of the blade, the radius of the leading edge, the pressure-side slope and the suction-side slope of the leading edge;
• ii. to compare, for each given elementary section, the value of the calculated characteristic with a known theoretical value of the said characteristic for the said given elementary section so as to obtain an elementary difference for the said characteristic for the said given elementary section;
• and
• iii. to calculate a parameterization of the machining centre as a function of the elementary differences obtained for the said elementary sections in order to define machining passes of the machining centre over the leading edge.