Measurement of turbine blade vibration

Measurement of turbine blade vibration

Keywords Aircraft,Engines, Gas turbines, Vibration

A collaborative research project funded by Wright Laboratories, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio,and co-ordinated by the Ohio Aerospace Institute in Cleveland, is aimed at developing a new way to measure gas-turbine engine blade vibration in aircraft. This will help aircraft manufacturers to more accurately predict appropriate maintenance schedules for engines, which will reduce downtime and ensure greater safety.

The technology development team, known as Propulsion Instrumentation Working Group (PIWG), hopes to develop a non-intrusive method to identify potential high-cycle fatigue problems in compressor blades during development testing in ground test facilities. Target goals by the year 2000 include designing, fabricating, prototyping, and bench testing a 24-channel system that incorporates small optical probes, and an integrated set of electronic/processing modules.

Participants in the programme are Allied Signal Aerospace, Allison Engine Co., GE Aircraft Engines,Pratt & Whitney, US Air Force Wright Laboratory, Arnold Engineering Development Centre, and NASA Lewis Research Centre.

Further details from Wally Rakowski, Ohio Aerospace Institute, 22800 Cedar Point Road, Cleveland, Ohio 44142, USA. Tel: +1 216/962-3126.