Assemblies and methods for monitoring turbine component strain

• US 9,932,853 B2
• Filed: 04/28/2015
• Issued: 04/03/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Infrastructure Technology, LLC (General Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Hovis, Gregory Lee, Nickles, Blake Ashton, Ranson, William F., Davidoff, Robert William
• Primary Examiner(s): Noori, Max
• Application Number:
  US14/697,766
• Publication Number:
  US 20160319694A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,071 Days
• Field of Search: 73760
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 17/04 responsive to load
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 21/003 Arrangements for testing or measuring for measuring vibrations G01H
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2260/80 Diagnostics
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2260/83 Testing, e.g. methods, components or tools therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 1/22 using resistance strain gauges
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 5/0016 of aircraft wings or blades
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 5/0083 by measuring variation of impedance, e.g. resistance, capacitance, induction

Abstract

Assemblies and methods for monitoring turbine component deformation are provided. An assembly includes a first strain sensor configurable on the turbine component, the first strain sensor including at least two reference points and having a first dimension. The assembly further includes a second strain sensor configurable on the turbine component, the second strain sensor including at least two reference points and having a first dimension which corresponds to the first dimension of the first strain sensor. An initial value of the first dimension of the second strain sensor is different from an initial value of the first dimension of the first strain sensor. In accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for monitoring turbine component deformation is provided.

Claims

1. An assembly for monitoring turbine component deformation, the assembly comprising:

a first strain sensor configurable on the turbine component, the first strain sensor comprising at least two reference points and having a first dimension;

a second strain sensor configurable on the turbine component, the second strain sensor comprising at least two reference points and having a first dimension which corresponds to the first dimension of the first strain sensor, wherein an initial value of the first dimension of the second strain sensor is different from an initial value of the first dimension of the first strain sensor.

2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the first strain sensor further comprises a second dimension and the second strain sensor further comprises a second dimension which corresponds to the second dimension of the first strain sensor, and wherein an initial value of the second dimension of the second strain sensor is different from an initial value of the second dimension of the first strain sensor.

3. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the first strain sensor is a plurality of first strain sensors and the second strain sensor is a plurality of second strain sensors.

4. The assembly of claim 3, wherein neighboring first strain sensors are spaced apart from each other by first distances and neighboring second strain sensors are spaced apart from each other by second distances, and wherein a second distance between two neighboring second strain sensors is different from a first distance between two corresponding neighboring first strain sensors.

5. The assembly of claim 4, wherein the first distances have identical initial values and the second distances have identical initial values.

6. The assembly of claim 3, wherein the plurality of first strain sensors are arranged in a first pattern and the plurality of second strain sensors are arranged in a second pattern different from the first pattern.

7. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the initial value of the first dimension of the second strain sensor is the results of a mathematical operation performed on a reference value for the first dimension.

8. The assembly of claim 7, wherein the initial value of the first dimension of the first strain sensor is the reference value.

9. The assembly of claim 7, wherein the initial value of the first dimension of the first strain sensor is the results of a mathematical operation performed on the reference value for the first dimension, the mathematical operation for the initial value of the first dimension of the first strain sensor different from the mathematical operation for the initial value of the first dimension of the second strain sensor.

10. The assembly of claim 9, wherein the first strain sensor further comprises a first unique identifier and the second strain sensor further comprises a second unique identifier, and wherein the first unique identifier is associated with the mathematical operation for the initial value of the first dimension of the first strain sensor and the second unique identifier is associated with the mathematical operation for the initial value of the first dimension of the second strain sensor.

11. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the first dimension is an outer height.

12. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the first dimension is an outer width.

13. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the first dimension is a distance between the at least two reference points.

14. A method for monitoring turbine component deformation, the method comprising:

measuring a value of a first dimension of a first strain sensor and a value of a first dimension of a second strain sensor configured on the turbine component, the first dimension of the second strain sensor corresponding to the first dimension of the first strain sensor;

retrieving from a computing device an initial value for the first dimension of the first strain sensor and an initial value for the first dimension of the second strain sensor, the initial value of the first dimension of the second strain sensor different from the initial value of the first dimension of the first strain sensor; and

comparing the measured value of the first dimension of the first strain sensor with the initial value of the first dimension of the first strain sensor and the measured value of the first dimension of the second strain sensor with the initial value of the first dimension of the second strain sensor.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

measuring a value of a second dimension of the first strain sensor and a value of a second dimension of the second strain sensor, the second dimension of the second strain sensor corresponding to the second dimension of the first strain sensor;

retrieving from a computing device an initial value for the second dimension of the first strain sensor and an initial value for the second dimension of the second strain sensor, the initial value of the second dimension of the second strain sensor different from the initial value of the second dimension of the first strain sensor;

comparing the measured value of the second dimension of the first strain sensor with the initial value of the second dimension of the first strain sensor and the measured value of the second dimension of the second strain sensor with the initial value of the second dimension of the second strain sensor.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the first strain sensor is a plurality of first strain sensors and the second strain sensor is a plurality of second strain sensors.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

determining a reference value for the first dimension of the first strain sensor and the first dimension of the second strain sensor;

modifying the reference value based on a first mathematical operation to obtain the initial value for the first dimension of the first strain sensor and modifying the reference value based on a second mathematical operation to obtain the initial value for the first dimension of the second strain sensor; and

storing at least one of the reference value, the first and second mathematical operations or the initial values for the first dimensions of the first and second strain sensors in a computing device.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

applying the first strain sensor and the second strain sensor to the turbine component, the first strain sensor and second strain sensor each comprising at least two reference points.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the first mathematical operation is a multiplication of the reference value by a predetermined multiplier and the second mathematical operation is a multiplication of the reference value by a predetermined multiplier different from the predetermined multiplier of the first mathematical operation.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the first mathematical operation is a multiplication of the reference value by a randomly generated multiplier and the second mathematical operation is a multiplication of the reference value by a randomly generated multiplier different from the randomly generated multiplier of the first mathematical operation.