Forward-oblique heads bend the viewing direction at an angle to the borescope axis, permitting the inspection of corners

at the end of a bored hole. The retrospective viewing head bends the cone of view at a retrospective angle to the
borescope axis, providing a view of the area just passed by the advancing borescope. It is especially suited to inspecting
the inside neck of cylinders and bottles.

Environment. Flexible and rigid borescopes can be manufactured to withstand a variety of environments. Although
most scopes can operate at temperatures from -34 to 66 °C (-30 to 150 °F), especially designed scopes can be used at
temperatures to 1925 °C (3500 °F). Scopes can also be manufactured for use in liquid media.

Special scopes are required for use in pressures above ambient and in atmospheres exposed to radiation. Radiation can
cause the multicomponent lenses and image bundles to turn brown. When a scope is used in atmospheres exposed to
radiation, quartz fiberscopes are generally used. Scopes used in a gaseous environment should be made explosionproof to
minimize the potential of an accidental explosion.

Applications

Rigid and flexible borescopes are available in different designs suitable for a variety of applications. For example, when
inspecting straight process piping for leaks rigid borescopes with a 360° radial view are capable of examining inside
diameters of 3 to 600 mm (0.118 to 24 in.). Scopes are also used by building inspectors and contractors to see inside
walls, ducts, large tanks, or other dark areas.

The principal use of borescope is in equipment maintenance programs, in which borescopes can reduce or eliminate the
need for costly teardowns. Some types of equipment, such as turbines, have access ports that are specifically designed for
borescopes. Borescopes provide a means of checking in-service defects in a variety of equipment, such as turbines (Fig.
9), automotive components (Fig. 10), and process piping (Fig. 11).

Fig. 9 Turbine flaws seen through a flexible fiberscope. (a) Crack near a fuel burner nozzle. (b) Crack in an
outer combustion liner. (c) Combustion chamber and high pressure nozzle guide vanes. (d) Compressor
damage showing blade deformation. Courtesy of Olympus Corporation