Abstract: A process for producing a small crack in a turbine rotor blade for use in training inspectors to be qualified for inspecting blades with small crack, where each blade is vibrated in order to initiate a small crack under observation using an IR camera that can detect for a small crack, and when a small crack at a desired size is produced on the blade, the vibration is stopped and the blade removed and then used in a training process to train and qualify an inspector for an inspection process.

Abstract: A method for identifying a defect such as a crack on a turbine rotor blade while the blade is in operation within a gas turbine engine, the method includes scanning the blade using an IR camera, identifying a leading edge or other line on the blade for a reference point, identifying a potential defect candidate on the blade by comparing the potential defect to a surrounding neighborhood in order to determine if the potential defect is an anomaly, and if the potential defect is an anomaly determine the structure of the anomaly in order to determine if the defect is a crack or a hole or a TBC spallation. The method computes a probability density for sub-regions in an image of the blade, conditioned upon the areas surrounding the sub-regions.