Harsh Environment Sensing
Military and civil aerospace and power systems rely on dependable performance of components operating under routinely harsh environments, often involving high temperatures, centripetal and acoustic loads, and corrosive agents. Extreme environments, like those found in gas turbine engines, often accelerate degradation and wear of components (e.g. nozzles, blades, combustors and other aero-components), requiring frequent inspection and maintenance to ensure reliability. Structurally-integrated sensors provide diagnostic capabilities to support real-time system prognosis, affording reduced uncertainty, more efficient operation, and higher performance.
Using Direct Write, MesoScribe has developed a suite of sensors to provide monitoring capabilities for rotating and stationary components operating at temperatures exceeding 2000°F for long durations (>1000hrs). Measurements of particular interest to the gas turbine industry, a primary driver of harsh environment sensing technologies, include:
- Component Temperature
- Gas Temperature
- Heat Flux
- Component Strain
Direct Write strain gages, thermocouples, and heat flux sensors specifically address these needs, and are illustrated below on mock components, as well as actual turbine hardware prepared for ground-based engine tests. Compatibility of the Direct Write process with traditional thermal sprayed deposits these devices to be embedded within industry-standard thermal barrier coatings, for seamless integration in extreme environments. MesoScribe’s Direct Write technology has received considerable attention from industry leaders as an innovative, feasible route to component health management in harsh operating environments, and is currently being adopted for industrial gas turbine engines.
