Accretion detection systems and associated methods for gas turbine engines
AssigneeRtx Corporation
InventorSheridon Haye
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An assembly for a gas turbine engine according to an example of the present disclosure may include at least one rotatable airfoil, at least one vibration sensor operable to detect vibration of the at least one airfoil at one or more rotational frequencies, and a controller operatively coupled to the at least one vibration sensor. The controller may be operable to determine an accretion level associated with accretion of glass on the at least one airfoil in response to comparing vibration of the at least one airfoil at the one or more rotational frequencies to a vibratory pattern associated with accretion of glass. A method of operation is also disclosed.
Claims11
An assembly for a gas turbine engine comprising:
- at least one rotatable airfoil;
- at least one vibration sensor operable to detect vibration of the at least one rotatable airfoil at one or more rotational frequencies;
- and
- a controller operatively coupled to the at least one vibration sensor, wherein the controller is configured to determine an accretion level associated with accretion of glass on the at least one rotatable airfoil in response to comparing vibration of the at least one rotatable airfoil at the one or more rotational frequencies to a vibratory pattern associated with accretion of glass,
- wherein the vibratory pattern is associated with the one or more rotational frequencies and one or more respective vibration thresholds,
- wherein the controller is configured to determine the accretion level in response to comparing at least one amplitude associated with vibration of the at least one rotatable airfoil at the respective rotational frequency to the respective vibration threshold;
- and
- wherein the vibratory pattern is established based on different amounts of accretion of glass and associated vibration for each of the amounts of accretion of glass at the one or more rotational frequencies.
A gas turbine engine comprising:
- a propulsor section including a propulsor;
- a compressor;
- a turbine that drives the propulsor;
- a plurality of airfoils rotatable about an engine axis;
- at least one vibration sensor operable to detect vibration and configured to generate a signal associated with detected vibration of one or more airfoils of the plurality of airfoils at one or more rotational frequencies;
- and
- a controller operatively coupled to the at least one vibration sensor, wherein the controller is configured to determine an accretion level associated with accretion of glass on the one or more airfoils in response to comparing the signal to a vibratory pattern associated with accretion of glass,
- wherein the vibratory pattern is associated with the one or more rotational frequencies and one or more respective vibration thresholds,
- wherein the controller is configured to determine the accretion level in response to comparing at least one amplitude of the signal associated with vibration of the one or more airfoils at the respective rotational frequency to the respective vibration threshold;
- and
- wherein the vibratory pattern is established based on different amounts of accretion of glass and associated vibration for each of the amounts of accretion of glass at the one or more rotational frequencies.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.