Sensor for quantifying widening reduction wear on a surface

• US 8,151,623 B2
• Filed: 05/21/2009
• Issued: 04/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Energy Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Energy Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Shinde, Sachin R., Kulkarni, Anand A., Mitchell, David J., Subramanian, Ramesh
• Primary Examiner(s): THOMPSON, JEWEL VERGIE
• Application Number:
  US12/469,988
• Publication Number:
  US 20090219040A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,055 Days
• Field of Search: 73/7, 737/76, 737/99, 738/02, 738/61, 737/75
• US Class Current: 73/7
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 17/02 Arrangement of sensing elements
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 21/003 Arrangements for testing or measuring for measuring vibrations G01H
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2230/30 with deposition of material
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2230/90 Coating; Surface treatment
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2250/183 zigzag
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2260/30 Retaining components in desired mutual position
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2260/80 Diagnostics
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 3/56 Investigating resistance to wear or abrasion

Abstract

A wear sensor (30, 50, 60) installed on a surface area (24) of a component (20, 21) subject to wear from an opposing surface (74, 75). The sensor has a proximal portion (32A, 52A, 62A) and a distal portion (32C, 52C, 62C) relative to a wear starting position (26). An electrical circuit (40) measures an electrical characteristic such as resistance of the sensor, which changes with progressive reduction of the sensor from the proximal portion to the distal portion during a widening reduction wear of the surface from the starting position. The measuring circuit quantifies the electrical changes to derive a wear depth based on a known geometry of the wear depth per wear width. In this manner, wear depth may be measured with a surface mounted sensor.

Claims

1. A sensor for quantifying a widening reduction wear on a surface, comprising:

a substrate comprising a surface with a wear starting position;

a sensor element installed on an area of the substrate at a single level relative to the surface, wherein the sensor element comprises a proximal portion and a distal portion relative to the wear starting position; and

an electrical measuring circuit connected to the sensor element;

wherein the electrical measuring circuit measures an electrical characteristic of the sensor element that varies with a progressive reduction of the sensor element from the proximal portion to the distal portion of the sensor during a widening reduction wear of the surface from the wear starting position.

2. The sensor of claim 1, wherein the sensor element comprises a plurality of nested electrical conductor loops, wherein the widening reduction wear successively breaks the respective loops, changing an electrical characteristic of each loop in succession, and the electrical measuring circuit detects the electrical characteristic of each loop to quantify respective levels of wear of the surface.

3. The sensor of claim 2, wherein each electrical conductor loop comprises first and second rails and a rung between the rails, wherein the widening reduction wear successively breaks the rungs, changing the electrical characteristic of the sensor element in steps, which the electrical measuring circuit quantifies to indicate respective levels of wear of the surface.

4. The sensor of claim 3, wherein each rung has a zigzag shape.

5. The sensor of claim 1, wherein the sensor element comprises an electrically conductive ladder with first and second rails extending from proximate the wear starting position and a plurality of rungs between the rails, wherein the widening reduction wear successively breaks the rungs, changing the electrical characteristic in steps that the electrical measuring circuit quantifies to indicate respective levels of wear of the surface.

6. The sensor of claim 1, wherein the sensor element comprises a film of an electrically conductive material, wherein the widening reduction wear progressively reduces the film, changing the electrical characteristic thereof.

7. The sensor of claim 1, wherein the substrate surface is curved, and the sensor element is installed on the substrate surface.

8. The sensor of claim 1, wherein the substrate surface is curved, and the sensor element is installed at a single level in a coating on the substrate surface.

9. The sensor of claim 1, wherein the electrical measuring circuit communicates measurements of the electrical characteristic to a monitoring computer, and the monitoring computer calculates a wear depth based on a predetermined geometry of the widening reduction wear.

10. The sensor of claim 7, wherein:

the substrate forms a component in a gas turbine engine;

the monitoring computer comprises a memory and a clock;

an installation time is stored in the memory when the component is installed in the engine;

data is stored in the memory that defines an acceptable time series envelope for measurements of the electrical characteristic over time; and

the monitoring computer issues an alert if a measured electrical characteristic of the sensor at a given time after the installation time is not within the acceptable time series envelope.

11. A 2D sensor for quantifying a widening reduction wear on a surface, comprising:

a substrate comprising a surface with a wear starting position;

a 2D sensor element deposited on the surface, wherein the 2D sensor element comprises a proximal portion and a distal portion relative to the wear starting position; and

a means for correlating a change in an electrical characteristic of the 2D sensor element to a depth of wear in the surface.

12. The 2D sensor of claim 11, wherein the 2D sensor element comprises a plurality of nested electrical conductor loops and the means for correlating comprises an electrical measuring circuit, wherein widening reduction wear successively breaks the loops, changing an electrical characteristic of each loop in succession, and the electrical measuring circuit detects the changing electrical characteristic of each loop to quantify respective levels of wear of the surface.

13. The 2D sensor of claim 12, wherein each electrical conductor loop comprises first and second rails and a rung between the rails, wherein the widening reduction wear successively breaks the rungs, changing the electrical characteristic of the 2D sensor in steps that the electrical circuit quantifies to indicate respective levels of wear of the surface.

14. The 2D sensor of claim 13, wherein each rung has a zigzag shape.

15. The 2D sensor of claim 11, wherein the 2D sensor element comprises an electrically conductive ladder with first and second rails extending from the wear starting position and a plurality of rungs between the rails, wherein widening reduction wear successively breaks the rungs, changing an electrical characteristic of the 2D sensor element in steps that the means for correlating quantifies to indicate respective levels of wear of the surface.

16. The 2D sensor of claim 11, wherein the 2D sensor element comprises a film of an electrically conductive material, wherein widening reduction wear progressively reduces the film, changing the electrical characteristic thereof.

17. The 2D sensor of claim 11, wherein the substrate surface is curved, and the 2D sensor element is installed on the substrate surface.

18. The 2D sensor of claim 11, wherein the means for correlating comprises an electrical measuring circuit that communicates measurements of the electrical characteristic to a monitoring computer, and the monitoring computer calculates a wear depth based on a predetermined geometry of the widening reduction wear.

19. A sensor for quantifying a depth of wear on a curved surface of a spring clip in a gas turbine engine, comprising:

a spring clip comprising a surface with a wear starting position;

a 2D sensor element installed on an area of the spring clip, wherein the 2D sensor element comprises a proximal portion and a distal portion relative to the wear starting position; and

a measuring circuit connected to the 2D sensor element;

wherein the measuring circuit measures a characteristic of the 2D sensor element that varies with a progressive reduction of the 2D sensor element from the proximal portion toward the distal portion during wear of the spring clip surface;

wherein a change in the measured characteristic is correlated to a depth of the wear of the spring clip surface.

20. The sensor of claim 19, wherein the 2D sensor element comprises a surface pattern of an electrically conductive material, wherein the wear progressively reduces the surface pattern, producing progressive changes in the measured characteristic, and the measuring circuit quantifies the progressive changes to indicate the depth of wear of the spring clip surface.