Abstract
In this article, we report the design of a reflective intensity-modulated optical fiber sensor for blade tip-clearance measurement, and the experimental results for the first stage of a compressor of an aircraft engine operating in real conditions. The tests were performed in a ground test cell, where the engine completed four cycles from idling state to takeoff and back to idling state. During these tests, the rotational speed of the compressor ranged between 7000 and 15,600 rpm. The main component of the sensor is a tetrafurcated bundle of optical fibers, with which the resulting precision of the experimental measurements was 12 µm for a measurement range from 2 to 4 mm. To get this precision the effect of temperature on the optoelectronic components of the sensor was compensated by calibrating the sensor in a climate chamber. A custom-designed MATLAB program was employed to simulate the behavior of the sensor prior to its manufacture.
Highlights
The development of more and more efficient aircraft engines is a continuous challenge that provides several benefits
We developed a reflective intensity-modulated optical fiber sensor to carry out tip clearance (TC) measurements in turbines [20] and rotating components of aircraft engines [28]
The TC measurement for the first stage of a compressor of an aircraft engine was carried out using an optical fiber sensor
Summary
The development of more and more efficient aircraft engines is a continuous challenge that provides several benefits. They provide a limited spatial resolution as compared to optical sensors, and it is not an economical technology [13] Another option are eddy-current (inductive) sensors, which have the advantage of not requiring a direct view of the blade tip, so the sensor is not exposed to the harsh conditions of the engine [14], but their calibration is highly dependent on the tip shape and temperature [15]. Several configurations of intensity-modulated sensors using trifurcated bundles for TC measurements have been previously proposed by other authors [15,26,27] Their performances were demonstrated only in laboratory conditions and using a rig instead of a real engine.
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