Back to results
US 9,297,720 B2Granted
Gas turbine engine vane embedded beam interrupt optical tip-timing probe system
AssigneeUnited Technologies Corporation
InventorsIan F. Agoos, Eli C. Warren
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of observing an airflow passage within a gas turbine engine includes locating a support in view of an airflow passage and housing an optical fiber within the support.
Claims18
A method of embedding a probe in an airflow passage within a gas turbine engine, the method comprising:
- housing a first optical fiber within a support, the support in view of an airflow passage;
- housing a second optical fiber within a second support opposite the first optical fiber to define a beam across the airflow passage;
- and
- locating the support within an airfoil;
- wherein the gas turbine engine comprises a rotor blade within the airflow passage, and the rotor blade is operable to disrupt the beam across the airflow passage.
2 more elements
A method of embedding a probe within a gas turbine engine, the method comprising:
- housing a first optical fiber in a trailing edge of an airfoil;
- and
- housing a second optical fiber in a leading edge of an airfoil in view of the first optical fiber;
- wherein the gas turbine engine comprises a rotor blade operable to disrupt a line-of-sight between the first optical fiber and the second optical fiber.
1 more element
An observation system for a gas turbine engine that comprises a rotor blade, the observation system comprising:
- a support;
- a first optical fiber within said support;
- and
- a second optical fiber operable to form a beam with the first optical fiber and positioned opposite from the first optical fiber across an airflow passage;
- wherein the first and the second optical fibers are arranged such that the rotor blade is operable to disrupt the beam;
- and
- wherein said support is mounted within an airfoil.
4 more elements
An observation system for a gas turbine engine, comprising:
- a first support mounted within an airfoil;
- a second support;
- a first optical fiber within the first support;
- and
- a second optical fiber within the second support, the second optical fiber operable to form a beam with the first optical fiber and positioned opposite from the first optical fiber across an airflow passage;
- wherein the observation system is configured as an optical rotor blade tip timing observation system.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.