Harvesting energy from composite aircraft engine components

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10938328-B2
Application number	US-201615189026-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 22, 2016
Priority date	Jun 22, 2016
Publication date	Mar 2, 2021
Grant date	Mar 2, 2021

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed to an engine component for a gas turbine engine, the engine component including a substrate that includes a composite fiber and defines a surface. An energy harvesting fiber is positioned within the substrate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An engine component for a gas turbine engine, the engine component comprising:
an airfoil comprising a substrate defining a surface, wherein the substrate comprises:
a plurality of layers of composite fibers; and
an energy harvesting fiber;
wherein the energy harvesting fiber is positioned between two of the layers of composite fibers.

2. The engine component as in claim 1 , wherein at least one layer of the plurality of layers of composite fibers includes the energy harvesting fiber.

3. The engine component as in claim 1 , wherein the energy harvesting fiber is a piezoelectric fiber.

4. The engine component as in claim 3 , wherein the piezoelectric fiber is a piezoelectric fiber actuator.

5. The engine component as in claim 4 , wherein the piezoelectric fiber actuator comprises a shunt transducer.

6. The engine component as in claim 5 , wherein the shunt transducer comprises:
an inductor;
a capacitor; and
a resistor, wherein the inductor, the capacitor, and the resistor are configured to dampen one or more vibratory modes of the engine component to a non-resonant mode.

7. The engine component as in claim 1 , wherein the energy harvesting fiber is a thermoelectric fiber.

8. The engine component as in claim 7 , wherein the thermoelectric fiber is configured as a thermoelectric cooler.

9. The engine component as in claim 1 , further comprising a sensor, wherein the sensor is electrically coupled to an energy harvesting fiber.

10. The engine component as in claim 9 , further comprising:
a communicator electrically coupled to receive an input voltage from the energy harvesting fiber and an analog signal from the sensor.

11. The engine component as in claim 10 , wherein the communicator comprises:
a wireless communicator, wherein the wireless communicator is a signal transfer device that operates on the electromagnetic spectrum; and
a rectifier.

12. The engine component as in claim 10 , wherein the communicator comprises a data storage device.

13. A gas turbine engine comprising the engine component of claim 1 .

14. The engine component as in claim 1 , wherein the substrate further comprises a second energy harvesting fiber located on the surface of the substrate.

15. The engine component as in claim 1 , further comprising a sensor, wherein the sensor is electrically coupled to the energy harvesting fiber, the sensor being configured to monitor and communicate engine performance and health.

16. A method of harvesting energy from a gas turbine engine component that comprises an airfoil, the airfoil comprising a substrate defining a surface, the method comprising:
providing an energy harvesting fiber;
providing a plurality of layers of composite fibers;
positioning the energy harvesting fiber between two of the layers of composite fibers;
electrically coupling the energy harvesting fiber to a load;
converting mechanical energy into electrical energy; and
supplying electrical energy to the load.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising positioning a second energy harvesting fiber on the surface of the substrate.

18. The method of claim 16 , further comprising electrically coupling a sensor to the energy harvesting fiber, the sensor being configured to monitor and communicate engine performance and health.

19. The method of claim 16 , further comprising
electrically coupling a sensor to the energy harvesting fiber;
electrically coupling a communicator to the energy harvesting fiber;
receiving an input voltage of the energy harvesting fiber from the communicator;
receiving an analog signal from the sensor.

20. The method of claim 16 , wherein the energy harvesting fiber is a piezoelectric fiber.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Sellinger Aaron Todd
• Kray Nicholas Joseph

Classifications

• F01D5/282

  Selecting composite materials, e.g. blades with reinforcing filaments · CPC title

• F01D25/06

  for preventing blade vibration (means on blade-carrying members or blades F01D5/00) · CPC title

• F05D2260/407

  through piezoelectric conversion · CPC title

• F01D25/005

  Selecting particular materials · CPC title

• C04B2235/5228

  Silica and alumina, including aluminosilicates, e.g. mullite · CPC title