Sensor assembly for gas turbine engines

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11050011-B2
Application number	US-201715844711-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 18, 2017
Priority date	Dec 18, 2017
Publication date	Jun 29, 2021
Grant date	Jun 29, 2021

Abstract

A sensor assembly for a gas turbine engine according to an example of the present disclosure includes, among other things, a substrate layer formed on a localized surface of a rotatable gas turbine engine component, and at least one pair of transducers deposited on the substrate layer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sensor assembly for a gas turbine engine comprising:
a substrate layer formed on a localized surface of a rotatable gas turbine engine component;
at least one pair of transducers deposited on the substrate layer, wherein the at least one pair of transducers includes a first transducer and a second transducer, and each of the first transducer and the second transducer includes a first set of electrodes interdigitated with a second set of electrodes; and
a first bridge and a second bridge deposited on the substrate layer, the first bridge electrically coupling the first set of electrodes of the first transducer and the first set of electrodes of the second transducer, and the second bridge electrically coupling the second set of electrodes of the first transducer and the second set of electrodes of the second transducer.

2. The sensor assembly as recited in claim 1 , wherein the localized surface is contoured.

3. The sensor assembly as recited in claim 1 , wherein the substrate layer is responsive to one or more signals communicated from one of the at least one pair of transducers.

4. The sensor assembly as recited in claim 3 , wherein the substrate layer comprises a piezoelectric material.

5. The sensor assembly as recited in claim 1 , further comprising at least one pair of reflectors formed on the substrate layer, with each pair of the at least one pair of transducers between a respective pair of the at least one pair of reflectors.

6. The sensor assembly as recited in claim 1 , further comprising at least one antenna coupled to the at least one pair of transducers, wherein the at least one antenna includes an input portion and an output portion, the input portion coupled to the first set of electrodes, and the output portion coupled to the second set of electrodes.

7. The sensor assembly as recited in claim 6 , further comprising a controller including a transceiver in communication with the at least one antenna.

8. The sensor assembly as recited in claim 7 , wherein the substrate layer causes an output signal to be communicated from the second transducer to the transceiver in response to an input signal communicated from the transceiver to the first transducer.

9. The sensor assembly as recited in claim 1 , wherein the rotatable gas turbine engine component is a rotatable airfoil.

10. The sensor assembly as recited in claim 8 , wherein the rotatable gas turbine engine component is a fan blade.

11. A gas turbine engine comprising:
a sensor assembly comprising:
a substrate layer formed on a localized surface of a rotatable component of the gas turbine engine;
at least one pair of transducers deposited on the substrate layer, wherein the at least one pair of transducers includes a first transducer and a second transducer, and each of the first transducer and the second transducer includes a first set of electrodes interdigitated with a second set of electrodes; and
a first bridge and a second bridge deposited on the substrate layer, the first bridge electrically coupling the first set of electrodes of the first transducer and the first set of electrodes of the second transducer, and the second bridge electrically coupling the second set of electrodes of the first transducer and the second set of electrodes of the second transducer.

12. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 11 , wherein the localized surface includes at least one contour, and the substrate layer substantially conforms to the at least one contour.

13. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 11 , further comprising at least one antenna coupled to the at least one pair of transducers, and a controller including a transceiver, the controller mechanically attached to a static structure of the gas turbine engine such that the rotatable component is spaced apart from the static structure to define a clearance gap, with the transceiver and the at least one antenna in communication through the clearance gap.

14. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 13 , wherein the substrate layer causes an output signal to be communicated from the second transducer to the transceiver in response to an input signal communicated from the transceiver to the first transducer.

15. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 14 , wherein the output signal relates to a present condition of the rotatable component adjacent the localized surface.

16. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 15 , wherein the gas turbine engine includes a fan, a compressor, and a turbine, and wherein the rotatable component is a rotatable airfoil or a rotatable shaft driven by the turbine.

17. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 16 , wherein the localized surface includes a plurality of contours defining two or more inflections, and the substrate layer substantially conforms to the plurality of contours.

18. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 17 , wherein the rotatable airfoil is a fan blade of the fan.

19. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 18 , wherein the controller causes a rotational speed of the fan to vary in response to a shift in a parameter of a mechanical signal associated with the substrate layer that corresponds to the output signal to the controller.

20. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 19 , wherein the first and second sets of electrodes of the first transducer and the first and second sets of electrodes of the second transducer are arranged to define a line width between 15.0-25.0 μm, a line thickness of less than 5.0 μm, and a period between 30.0-50.0 μm.

Assignees

• United Technologies Corp
• Raytheon Tech Corp

Inventors

• Dardona Sameh
• Consiglio Andrew

Classifications

• H04B7/24

  for communication between two or more posts (wireless communication networks H04W) · CPC title

• G01L9/08

  by making use of piezoelectric devices {, i.e. electric circuits therefor} · CPC title

• G01H11/08

  using piezoelectric devices · CPC title

• F01D17/02

  Arrangement of sensing elements · CPC title

• F01D11/20 Primary

  Actively adjusting tip-clearance · CPC title