Borescope support apparatus

Claim 1

A gas turbine engine including a compressor, a turbine and a casing structure extending around said compressor and turbine, an access port formed through said casing structure, a borescope probe having an elongated stem portion projecting through said access port, and means for supporting said borescope probe, said means comprising: a housing having a central opening sized to receive said borescope stem portion said housing adapted to be secured to said gas turbine casing with said central opening in general axial alignment with said casing access port; a pair of spherical bearings, each said bearing having a first portion and a second portion, each said first portion formed with a concave surface and each said second portion formed with a convex surface adapted to seat on the concave surface of its respective first portion, a central opening formed through said spherical bearings and sized to receive said borescope stem portion, said bearings disposed in said housing with said concave surfaces facing each other and said bearing central openings in general axial alignment with said housing central opening; at least one resilient deformable washer disposed between said spherical bearings and formed with an annular opening therethrough which is generally axially aligned with said bearing central openings and is sized, in a nondeformed condition, to slideably receive said borescope stem portion in close fitting relationship therewith; a locking collar threadably engaged in said housing and formed with a central opening therethrough which is sized to receive said borescope stem portion and is generally axially aligned with said housing central opening; the outer portion of one said bearing secured to said housing and the outer portion of the other said bearing secured to said locking collar, whereby when said locking collar is in a loose position, said borescope stem portion may be freely moved along and rotated about its axis and swivelled about a point intermediate said bearings and means when said locking collar is rotated in a direction of deeper threaded engagement with said housing, said resilient washer is deformed by said bearings into gripping engagement with said borescope stem portion and said bearings become frictionally locked.