Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation

United Technologies Corporation

Bhupindar Singh

Francis P Marocchini

Gregory Di Vincenzo

Gary M McBrien

Gregory DiVincenzo

Douglas P Modeen

A measuring system for sensing vane positions that comprises a turbine, a target, and a sensor. The turbine includes a plurality of articulating vanes, with each vane being coupled to a sync ring that is configured to position the plurality of articulating vanes in accordance with a degree of rotation by the sync ring. The target is coupled to a first position of the turbine within a first region that is associated with a first vane of the plurality of articulating vanes. The sensor is coupled via a bracket to a second position of the turbine within the first region. The sensor is configured to detect an orientation of the target that corresponds to a vane position of the first vane.

Vane position sensor installation within a turbine case

A movable vane control system is disclosed for use with a gas turbine engine having a turbine axis of rotation. The system includes a plurality of rotatable turbine vanes in a gas flow path within a turbine case of the gas turbine engine. A first vane position sensor having a first distance sensor is configured to sense the distance between the first distance sensor and a surface portion of a first of said plurality of vanes or a first movable target connected to the first vane. Additionally, the first distance sensor, the first vane surface portion, the first movable target, or a combination thereof is configured to provide a variable distance between the first distance sensor and the first vane surface portion or first movable target that varies as a function of a position of the first vane.

Movable vane control system

A tip clearance measurement system (TCMS) includes a probe and sensing circuitry. The probe directs microwave signals toward a turbine blade and receives microwave signals reflected by the turbine blade. The sensing circuitry includes a switch having a first state in which a main frequency is provided at an output of the switch and a second state in which a reference frequency is provided at an output of the switch. The sensing circuitry further includes a first conditioning circuit that receives a frequency provided at the output of the switch and provides a conditioned frequency to the probe and a second conditioning circuit that receives both the conditioned frequency provided by the first conditioning circuit and a reflected frequency received by the probe, and provides a conditioned output based on the conditioned frequency and reflected frequency.

Tip clearance measurement system

A turbine is provided and includes an outer duct, a turbine casing formed to define a turbine interior, the turbine casing being disposed within the outer duct to define an annulus, a vane element pivotably coupled to the turbine casing via a spindle to extend spanwise into the turbine interior and a sensor element supportively coupled to the outer duct and configured to sense a characteristic of the spindle within the annulus from which a pivot angle of the vane element is derivable.

Hot environment vane angle measurement

A velocity adaptive method for testing the control of dynamic devices of a system having a position schedule influenced by a dynamic factor is disclosed. The method includes the steps of introducing a step into the position schedule and causing a disturbance in the system; maintaining the step for an interval of time; removing the step; calculating step response by the system while accounting for the dynamic factor; and comparing the step response to a threshold value for determining one of the failure and successful operation of the control.

Growing community of inventors

West Hartford, CT, United States of America

Bhupindar Singh