A Semi-Automatic Thickness Inspection Technique for Marine Propellers

摘要

This paper describes the design and development of a Semi-Automatic Precision Caliper System to measure the thickness of an outboard marine engine propeller blade. Several commonly used methods for measuring the thickness of a propeller blade are reviewed in this paper. These include the P rops Scan, 3D Vision System and Black Dog. However, the operating practices and availability of different facilities in industry necessitate a more cost-effect ive approach. An alternative method using a Semi-Automatic Precision Caliper S ystem is therefore proposed. Details of the design criteria, principles of oper ation as well as the testing and verification of the system are presented. The paper concludes that the Semi-Automatic Precision Caliper System is a low cost and effective method for measuring the thickness of a propeller.