The Reverse Engineering technique performed on a Francis Runner Geometry through Photogrammetry

Abstract

The Reverse Engineering is a reliable technique to convert a real geometry of a part into 3D computer file. One reason for scanning a part may be the lack of the drawings to manufacture a new one that will replace the old part. The paper illustrates the Reverse Engineering of a Francis runner geometry with a diameter of 1160 mm and 19 blades, which, after 50 years of operation, has pronounced wear marks, high porosity surfaces and cracked areas. The geometry will be scanned through Photogrammetry technique and processed with the following software packages: Agisoft Photoscan and Geomagic Design X (formerly Rapidform XOR); finally, the solid geometry and the drawing of the runner were generating using the SolidWorks software.