A flexible borescope includes a bundle of optical fibers which divide the image into pixels. A flexible borescope is also known as a fiberscope and can be used to access cavities which are around a bend, such as a combustion chamber or “Burner Cans” in order to view the condition of the compressed air inlets, turbine blades and seals without disassembling the engine.
Flexible borescope suffers from pixilation and pixel cross talk due to the fiber image guide. Image quality varies widely among different models of flexible borescopes depending on the number of fibers and construction used in the fiber image guide.
For flexible borescope, articulation mechanism components, range of articulation, field of view and angles of view of the objective lens are also important. Fiber content in the flexible relay is also critical to provide the highest possible resolution to the viewer. Minimal quantity is 10,000 pixels while the best images are obtained with higher numbers of fibers in the 15,000 to 22,000 range for the larger diameter borescopes.
The size and resolution of the image that is projected for the user can depend on the length and diameter of the borescope that is used. A flexible borescope that is small in diameter may have more of a distorted image for the viewer than a device that is large in diameter. The larger the diameter of the tube, the easier it is for the magnifying device to depict the image to the eye piece or camera.
The length of the flexible borescope may also affect the clarity of the image. A borescope that has a long length may distort an image more than a shorter tube. When a magnification device is used on one side of a borescope, the magnification will be stronger if the tube is short.
A flexible borescope that is composed of a long tube and has a thin diameter may have a smaller field of view for the user. The operator may find he or she has to move the device a lot more to cover the entire surface area of the space. That is why, it is important for an operator to choose the correctly sized flexible borescope for his or her job. While a small amount of image distortion may occur with a long tube that is small in diameter, this borescope is still an extremely accurate and clear way to see into a small, dark area.
There are two different types of flexible borescope available; a fiberscope that transmits its images over a distance using fiber optic cables, and a video scope that uses a CCD sensor in order to transmit the images. Among the many different types of flexible borescope on the market, there are the articulating fiberscope, the non-articulating fiberscope, and the video scope.
In addition to these three types of flexible borescope, there are also some specialty models available. One example of this is the weld-i which is made specifically for inspecting welding work and high purity piping in order to determine its integrity. This handy tool will allow you to carefully examine entire assemblies at one time which will make the job easier and faster than ever before.
