High Frequency, High Resolution Infrared Health Management System for Rocket Engine Turbomachinery

The success of a rocket launch depends upon the reliability of the launch vehicle, with the riskiest part being the engine’s turbomachinery. The top two life issues for turbopumps are the turbine blades and the bearings. Currently in turbopumps, there is no direct measurement of turbine blade health, and the existing methods for rolling element bearing health monitoring rely on indirect measurements, such as accelerometers and acoustic emission probes for vibratory data, and thermocouples on the bearing outer ring. As soon as a microcrack forms on a turbine blade or bearing raceway, there is an increase in heat generation due to the frictional rubbing of the crack surface. This increased heat generation is the first detectable sign of a fault. The health management system FTT is proposing would be able to detect this first indicator of damage. FTT is proposing to develop a high speed, high resolution infrared (IR) sensor for rocket engine turbomachinery health management. The improvement in health management directly supports operationally responsive space goals for turnaround time and life as well as IHPRT objectives.