United Technologies Corporation

Raytheon Technologies Corporation

Rtx Corporation

Edward F Dreger, Iii

Eli Cole Warren

Corey A Benoit

Ian F Agoos

Kevin Andrew Ford

Erik D Rice

Mark W Costa

Charles W Haldeman

Allison Clark Nicklous

Marc Samit

William F Caswell

Michael G Conigliaro

Timothy Jarvis

Hunter Tomick

Patrick M Harrington

A lead cooling assembly includes a cooling jacket including a tubular section having an exterior portion and an interior portion, where the interior portion is proportioned to surround a probe lead and provide space for a flow of a gaseous coolant. The lead cooling assembly also includes an intake configured to admit the gaseous coolant into the interior portion of the cooling jacket. The lead cooling assembly further includes a collar configured to fit over the exterior portion of the cooling jacket, where the collar includes one or more exit holes configured to pass the gaseous coolant out of the interior portion of the cooling jacket.

Blade tip clearance probe/lead cooling jacket

In combination a wear indicator and a component of a gas turbine engine. The wear indicator is secured to a surface of the component of the gas turbine engine. The wear indicator including: a first component including: a post; and a ribbon wire having a first end and a second end opposite the first end. The first end is operably connected to the post and the ribbon wire is wrapped around the post.

Electrical resistance wear indicator

In combination a wear indicator and a component of a gas turbine engine is provided. The wear indicator is secured to a surface of the component of the gas turbine engine. The wear indicator comprising: a first component including: a first plate; a second plate opposite the first plate; a plurality of wires extending from first plate to the second plate, wherein the first plate is electrically connected to the second plate through the plurality of wires; and a potting material configured to partially fill the first component and fill voids between the plurality of wires, such that the plurality of wires are electrically insulated from each other by the potting material.

A wear indicator for detecting blade clearance in a gas turbine engine includes a capacitor connected to a first conductor and a second conductor. The capacitor includes a multiple of layers arranged transverse to a rub direction, each layer separated by an insulator and including a first plate, a second plate, and a dielectric between the first plate and the second plate. A method of detecting blade clearance in a gas turbine engine, includes determining a change in capacitance between the first and second capacitance and determining an amount of material removed from the wear indicator by the blade corresponding to the change in capacitance.

Capacitance based wear indicator

A BTC probe may comprise a housing having a body, a neck extending radially from the body coupled to a hard lead comprising a hard shield, a driven guard, and a lead wire, and a cap coupled at a top surface of the body enclosing an interior volume of the housing. A sensor element may be disposed within the housing an coupled to the lead wire. The sensor element may comprise a sensor head having a first vertex.

Systems and methods for pseudo-triaxial capacitance probe assemblies

A capacitance probe monitors the distance between a blade tip and a fan, compressor or turbine case. The capacitance probe may be attached to a liner, and may travel with the liner as it radially expands due to thermal changes. The capacitance probe may include a circuit board sensor with a metallic plate, and one or more capacitors. The metallic plate may be encapsulated within an insulating material. A plurality of soft leads may be in electrical communication with the circuit board sensor, allowing a lower lead weight, reduced size and increased flexibility. The soft leads may also be embedded in the liner. In this way, the capacitance probe can record more accurate distance measurements and promote a gas turbine engine's continued and efficient operation.

Encapsulated soft-lead capacitance probe for a gas turbine engine

A method is provided that involves a wall configured to circumscribe and be radially adjacent a rotor. During this method, a tri-axial capacitance probe is provided that includes a tri-axial conduit with an outer conductor member. The tri-axial capacitance probe is configured to output data indicative of a characteristic of the rotor. The tri-axial capacitance probe is configured within a wall aperture in the wall. The outer conductor member is electrically coupled with the wall. The wall is configured as a housing for the tri-axial capacitance probe.

Tri-axial capacitance probe with case integrated housing

A method includes rotating a rotor, measuring a rotor rotational time for the rotor to complete a revolution, determining a blade interval by dividing the rotor rotational time by a number of blades carried on the rotor, establishing an active hold-off time interval as a percentage of the blade interval time, directing a beam of light at the blades of the rotor using a laser, sensing light reflected from the blades, generating an output signal as a function of the sensed light, establishing a signal amplitude threshold, analyzing an amplitude of the output signal to trigger the active hold-off time interval when the amplitude reaches the signal amplitude threshold, and generating a blade arrival signal as a function of triggered active hold-off time intervals. The output signal is not analyzed within each active hold-off time interval.

Growing community of inventors

Burlington, CT, United States of America

Edward F Dreger, Iii